


fountains and flowers

by kanmi_i



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Graphic Description, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27671071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kanmi_i/pseuds/kanmi_i
Summary: "another world is out there, one in which fantasies are your everyday reality."-there are fountains covered in the growth of time just as gardens are falling apart, a prophecy hidden in plain sight. in this prophecy, stood thirteen boys in between two worlds, connected by the want for something new and the need for something to find again.[disclaimer: the ships here are not that prominent but they will show up and be important]
Relationships: Boo Seungkwan/Chwe Hansol | Vernon, Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan, Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Lee Seokmin | DK, Jeon Wonwoo/Kim Mingyu, Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi/Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Wen Jun Hui | Jun/Xu Ming Hao | The8
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. thirteen years ago

**˚* ❀**

**_thirteen_ ** **_years ago_ **

the embers from the fireplace flew through the air, dying out as soon as they escaped. the man in front of the fire held his hands out for the warmth, feeling the heat of the flame thaw his once frozen fingers. the recliner he sat on became just as comfy as the bed he would sleep in each night.

the weather outside was cold, just a few gusts of wind blowing here and there. but, inside this beautiful wonderland of a home, the man felt his whole being relax and detach from reality. memories came sweeping by, a few paying fragmental visits.

oh, how the night brought about beautiful moments.

the man felt his body fall to rest. every inch of him was ready to fall asleep as his recliner engulfed him even more. the fire illuminated his face, highlighting the most peaceful features of him. his fingers felt themselves release the tension it built up from the cold. his hair curled in all directions. all while his breathing slowed just as much as time seemed to.

"gran- granpa! mama said it's storytime!"

the shout jolted him awake. he looked around and saw that his grandson was running towards him. he did nothing but smile and hold his arms out for the little fellow.

the little boy's chubby legs ran toward the man on the inclined chair. the man smiled then laughed with his grandson, catching him in his arms as he jumped. the little boy's eyes glistened as the man put him down on his lap.

"you're getting bigger and bigger each day! how can grandpa carry you now?" the older man teased as he tickled the little boy. the little boy giggled then wrapped his chubby little arms on the man's belly to the best of his abilities.

"but granpaaaaa! mama said you're as strong as a thousand oxen!" the little boy grinned. "i dunno what those are but if mama said they're like you then they're strong!"

the old man laughed then stood up, with the little boy in his arms. his wrinkling hand adjusted the spectacles on his nose and he began to look through the bookshelves in his study. the tips of his fingers ran over the spines of each book his vision saw, all containing different stories and different worlds.

the boy's grandfather landed his eyes on one particular book, smiling to himself as his hands reached out to grab it off the shelf. the spine was ripping as if millions had their hands on it. the cover looked dirty, the title showing in small faint lettering.

the man sat back down on his chair in front of the fireplace with the boy in his arms alongside the book. the little boy excitedly grinned and reached for the book countless times despite knowing his grandfather will always read to him the story.

"my small seungcheol, you're already five but you still want these old stories? you'll have an adventurous mind, i'll tell you that," the man said as he opened the old book. when the cover was lifted, dust came flying out.

the man immediately covered seungcheol's nose and mouth with his shirt as he coughed. he hadn't opened the book in years so all the dust and dirt must've piled up over the decades. as the man's wrinkly hands cleaned up the surface of the frontpage, he could see his little grandson's eyes widen and shine.

"granpa, who's sangcheol?" seungcheol said as he pointed at the lettering of the front page.

seungcheol's grandfather directed his vision to the letters on the piece of paper. he laughed and said, "oh cheollie, that's my name."

seungcheol's eyes almost popped out of his head, gasping as he hastily covered his mouth. as his grandfather started flipping through the pages, seungcheol still couldn't snap out of his surprise. when the man stopped at one page and noticed his grandson's expression, he held in a chuckle.

"granpa isn't your name?!" seungcheol almost fainted from the astounding piece of information.

his grandfather shook his head then told seungcheol that he'll understand soon enough or when he's older. his gaze went back to the book, seeing the black and white pictures that greeted him. it wasn't a simple storybook, it was a photo album dedicated to choi sangcheol. it looked to be around ten generations old.

"alright seungcheol, i'll tell you a story."

seungcheol sat straight and still, holding his breath in anticipation for his nightly story. his whole body almost started jumping in excitement. then, just as he was about to explode, his grandfather began with one turn of a page to reveal a whimsical image.

the picture was almost torn, barely keeping its shape as beautiful as its contents. in the picture was a large pool of water, lined with long twisted ropes. behind the pool were tall shrubs filled with what seemed to be beautiful magnolia flowers and cherry blossoms. yet, those weren't as eye-catching as the main attraction seungcheol saw.

in the middle of everything was a towering statue of a woman. her stone hands were clasped together in a praying stance and a flowing dress appeared to be draped over her figure. her eyes were closed and her hair was almost hidden by a veil with the most intricate designs. all while water flowed from her lidded eyes.

"once upon a time, there stood a kingdom with countless riches and people. my father said that this land had everything that every other kingdom needed, the only difference was that they had magic to aid them along with a little goddess who looked after them." the man pointed his wrinkly finger towards the statue in the picture.

seungcheol listened intently, wanting to know more about the woman in the image.

"she had the kindest of hearts and bravest of minds so suitors came back and forth to ask for her hand in marriage. every single time, she declined but they were always coming back."

then, seungcheol's grandfather flipped to the next page. in the picture was a garden mostly consisting of cherry blossoms. the paths were lined with other beautiful flowers but those were dominant over them all.

"all because her heart belonged to a gardener, a gardener who planted her favorite flower. his heart was golden and his hands were always covered in dirt. on top of all of that, he always declined in touching any part of her because her hands were always dirty from work."

"but she's crying in the other picture, did something bad happen?" seungcheol asked, his voice becoming smaller and smaller.

his grandfather sighed, flipping to the next page. in this picture was a scene unlike any other, the garden was no longer standing. the flowers appeared to have been pulled out of the ground, the trees were cut down and the ground was destroyed.

"well, in a fit of anger, one of her suitors spread lies about the gardener and his fruits of labor. he told everyone in the kingdom about how the gardener wanted to poison everyone, especially the king, using his creations. all while they used their magic to harm him and his garden."

"but granpa, that's not fair!" seungcheol's eyes started to shed tears. his grandfather took out a handkerchief and used it to wipe away the droplets that came from the little boy.

"my father told me that he was a skillful man, every flower he would plant would always sprout to become a beauty even without his magic," his grandfather said as he finished wiping his little seungcheol's tears.

"sadly, the gardener was forced out of the kingdom by their king once he heard the news. then, the moment their little goddess heard that this happens, she became infuriated," the man said as made hand motions to keep his seungcheol entertained.

"what's in-in-infyuriaded?" seungcheol asked. his grandfather immediately realized his mistake and gave him a little head pat. "it means angry, my little cheollie," he said as his finger turned over the page once more.

this time, the picture showed a towering castle. it appeared to be made from the finest materials and the purest of jewels. the only things that weren't adorning its grounds were beautiful greenery and enchanting flowers. in the middle of it stood a king, his crown boasting his riches.

"once she got a hold of him, she did something the whole kingdom would remember for centuries to come."

he then flipped to the next page. it revealed an image of the exact castle in the old picture, only this time, flowers upon flowers adorned the castle. all while a little boy stood in the middle, ragged clothes touching dirty skin.

"she had removed almost all of the magic in the kingdom. she made the king disappear, along with her suitors and all of those who believed in the rumors into another world, never to return. almost all magic was gone, aside from the ones that she deemed worthy to stay. while from the last bits of their existence rose monsters of darkness."

seungcheol's chubby fingers held the page with shining eyes, his whole mind focused on the picture he saw. his heart was racing and he wanted to know more about this kingdom.

"after her actions, the remaining citizens begged her for forgiveness, for they had nobody to lead them nor magic to assist them. she felt pity, tears almost falling down her fair skin. as she was about cry, two drops of her tears became petals."

he then pointed at the boy in the picture.

"she put one petal down onto the ground of the castle and flowers began to sprout rapidly. the people watched as the petal then began to form a human-like structure. after a few seconds, a little boy with rags as clothes faced them."

seungcheol touched the face of the boy in the picture, entranced by how he was formed. his eyes began to water as he yawned but the excitement was still bright in him.

"she then threw the other one up to the sky. it disappeared in a flash and she spoke of how those petals will save them. one was sent to the former king and the other was in front of them. the boy and his future children will always carry the birthmark of a flower, that's how they'll know if they are royalty."

he flipped it to another page, showing the birthmark of the flower boy. the birthmark was unnatural, it showed the perfect shape of a magnolia flower and a cherry blossom.

"all while the other petal would be given to their former king. the instructions were clear as day. the moment the family of their former king would no longer sit on a throne would be the moment they would be granted their magic back and monsters would not hurt them. all while the boy would be given a similar family name but his blood would be pure, his family will be the ones to end the old king's reign."

seungcheol smiled then jumped in excitement. "i'll be the one to save them!" he shouted as he pointed to himself with a giant grin.

"granpa! i wanna save them! tell me where their kingdom is!" seungcheol shouted with a flame in his heart. his eyes burned with passion and his whole being wanted to save that kingdom. he yawned once again, trying to keep his eyes open.

"ah, ask your mother where they are. she's been to that kingdom bef-" his sentence was cut off by a knock at the door. the man put seungcheol down on the recliner as he got up and made his way to the door. he opened it and was greeted by a maid and his daughter.

"her majesty would like to have her son back, it's almost past his bedtime and she'd like to-" "chunhei, i'm sure you can speak for yourself," he spoke. the maid then kept her mouth shut as she tried avoiding the gaze of his majesty.

seungcheol hopped off the recliner and made his little legs run towards the door. his gummy smile showed as he jumped to hug his mother. his mother caught him perfectly, whispering about how they should get going to bedtime.

"dad, i hope you didn't tell him an outrageous story again. the last time you did, he tried to see if he could fly off a balcony." chunhei smiled, her hands holding tightly onto the little prince who yawned into her shoulder.

"don't worry, i told him something much more realistic." sangcheol said.

the maid bowed to him then guided the queen towards the bedroom of her child. the queen held tightly onto the fragile prince, her ears picking up on quiet snores. her heart was at ease and she smiled wholeheartedly. yet, one thing that the sleeping prince said made her eyes widen and her fingers start to tremble.

_"i'll save that small flower kingdom."_

**˚* ❀**


	2. present

**˚* ❀**

_**present** _

the flowers atop the growing trees were blooming. the spring breeze was comforting the boy who stood in the middle of the beautiful garden. the skies were beautifully clear and the birds who flew across it were singing their songs.

the eighteen-year-old who stood amongst the buds of the garden heaved out a big sigh. he looked to where the garden would end and sat down in the middle, placing his hands in front of his legs to trace the intricate design of the path. his short arms not even being able to reach the outermost details.

his body felt at ease and his mind was wandering and for a second there, everything was alright.

"cheol!"

"your highness!"

the boy turned around to see who was calling him. it turned out to be two people, one was dressed in royal garments while the other was dressed in more common clothes. the latter was running at full speed as the one in regal clothes walked at a calm speed.

_ah, the devil twins._

"hey, you idiots, be careful! you guys might ruin the flowers!" 

" _your highness_ _,_ did you forget about the tutoring session you were supposed to have with wonu?" the boy in common clothes had a fire in his eyes and a twisted smile. his ears seemed to release heaps upon heaps of steam out of frustration. he began to slow down but his feet appeared to be stomping against the path of the garden.

"shua, you know it's spring already," seungcheol stated as he pointed towards the flowers that rested atop the tall trees. jisoo stopped in his tracks as a hand rested on his shoulder. he turned around to see the boy in the royal clothes, yoon jeonghan. the other had a look of anger on his face as he held his friend's shoulder.

jeonghan looked over to seungcheol. his eyes were filling with pity for the prince in front of them. he then returned his gaze to jisoo and smacked the back of his head.

"you're very insensitive, have you no idea that it's already springtime!" jeonghan shouted at the youngest. jisoo held the back of his head and mumbled a small apology to the older one and the prince. seungcheol smiled sheepishly at the sight before him, knowing full well that jeonghan only acts like that after waking up early.

"your highness, i'm aware that spring has come but wonu has been waiting for you for the past thirty minutes," jisoo said as he rubbed the back of his head. 

seungcheol looked to him with the most innocent gaze and lifted himself to stand in front of him. his hands raised themselves to grip jisoo's collar in a tight hold, his head faced down. jeonghan just watched the two, knowing chaos would ensue if his hands were to get involved.

the prince let out a deep sigh and raised his head slowly.

"i still don't understand projectile motion, he'll kill me!" seungcheol's eyes let out small tears and a recognizable frown greeted jisoo. jeonghan laughed when he saw the prince's attempt to be cutely sad for the other.

"this is exactly why the queen ordered for wonu to tutor you. i'd tease you for being distracted enough to get a seventeen-year-old to teach you stuff but wonu seriously-" "oh shua, give seungcheol a break," jeonghan said as he took seungcheol's hands and removed them from jisoo's collar. 

jeonghan laughed once again when jisoo went on about how wonwoo started to complain to him about the prince's absences. however, this sweet laughter died down when jeonghan's eyes caught sight of the back of seungcheol's neck. acting on instinct, his arm snaked around the prince's neck and shoulders.

seungcheol felt this and his eyes widened at the action. but, his expression disappeared in an instant when he heard jeonghan whisper in his ear. the other whispered, "cover your neck, the queen might see."

the prince felt the arm retreat so he quickly raised the collar of his polo. jisoo raised a brow at this but ignored it for seungcheol's sake. he didn't want his friend to be embarrassed.

"jeonghan, you're his highness' assistant so why aren't you telling him to study with wonu?" jisoo asked, his voice filling with an annoyed tone. his arms were crossed and his cheeks were puffed.

jeonghan smiled then took both of their hands in his. his left held jisoo's while his right held seungcheol's. he started walking to the garden's entrance, the heels of his shoes clicking against the path of stone. 

"give him a break. we're not exactly supposed to be working full-time yet. so while i get the chance, i'll let seungcheol enjoy the springtime." 

they kept moving along with jeonghan, jisoo going against what he just said while seungcheol kept quiet. the prince felt his ears drown out the sounds and arguments that came from the two as his mind went blank for a while. memories and scenes of spring came rushing towards him. flowers atop twisted trees surrounded a free-flowing fountain while a man knelt in front of him, his arms reaching for him to embrace. 

seungcheol felt a wave of nostalgia for something he had never seen and he felt himself reach for the man in the scene. his arms wrapped around the body and his whole being felt at ease. the prince smiled and took in deep breaths, only wanting that feeling to have him.

then, he heard loud snapping in his ear.

"your highness, we're here at the libr- ohohoh my." 

seungcheol widened his eyes at the realization of what he did. he looked up and saw jeonghan's face look right back at him with a curious but playful look. he immediately removed his arms from the other's torso and cleared his throat out of embarrassment.

"i guess i'm still a little relaxed from the garden. sorry for that, hannie," seungcheol said, his hand scratching the back of his head sheepishly. jisoo held out something and in a second, a flash met the two. jeonghan looked to jisoo and noticed the phone in his hand, accompanied by a giggling jisoo.

"i see you two have been spending _quality time_ together," jisoo said with a grin. seungcheol's whole face heated up with a sheepish smile.

jeonghan rolled his eyes and opened the doors that led to the castle's library. 

"wonu! we brought cheol, can shua go back to training now?" jeonghan shouted out as he burst through the entrance. what greeted them was an enormous room with walls filled with books and stories. one side of the place just consisted of tall panes of glass, looking out to the garden outside.

a boy who was sat by the windows looked to the entrance, his eyeglasses almost falling from the bridge of his nose as he closed the book in his hand. 

"you're late, your highness."

**–**

wonwoo was next to seungcheol, reading articles on his laptop, while his highness was answering a worksheet given to him. jeonghan sat by the towering windows with a small carton of strawberry milk in his hand, looking out to the scenery outside. jisoo had gone back to working on the castle's training ground.

"i wonder what the queen's plans for the spring ball are. i honestly want to see roses line the walls this time, she always gets magnolia as decor," jeonghan said before taking another sip of his milk. wonwoo raised a brow for the article he just read was concerning itself with the spring ball.

"hyung, you are the closest link to her majesty. why don't you suggest that?" wonwoo asked, adjusting his glasses.

jeonghan kept drinking his milk until the whole carton ran out. his face scowled at this and looked to wonwoo, noticing that seungcheol raised his head to be a part of the conversation.

"i did once, but she told me to live it alone. apparently, magnolia flowers were–" "magnolia flowers were my father's favorite flowers," seungcheol added as he slid the worksheet to wonwoo. all the answer boxes were filled and this made wonwoo smile.

"sigh, it must be nice to have a flower as a remembrance of your existence." jeonghan grinned, throwing his milk carton in a nearby trashcan. 

"hyung, did you just say 'sigh' out loud?" wonwoo questioned, his hand pressing the power button on his laptop to turn off. jeonghan nodded with a little peace sign pose and a full-on smile. seungcheol giggled at the two, remembering that wonwoo will correct anything jeonghan says.

seungcheol stood up and walked to the window jeonghan sat by. he looked out to a part of the garden that was filled with rose bushes, it was a deeper part of the greenery that seungcheol wouldn't visit often but he loved it just as much as the rest of the scene. he watched the roses sway in the wind but the prince noticed the petals weren't the only things moving. there was a head of hair hiding behind the bushes, the wind blowing through each strand. 

seungcheol tapped jeonghan on the shoulder, pointed out to the hair in the bushes then said, "aren't the castle gardeners supposed to wear hats when tending to the plants? he might get bugs in his hair."

jeonghan looked outside and as if the timing was just right, a boy ran up to the bushes and laughed once another boy jumped out from the bushes. his mind suddenly went blank and all he could think of was 'huh'.

then, in a flash, jeonghan's mind went back into power mode and he jumped out of his chair to look out at the two children.

"how the hell did seokmin and chan find their way into the castle garden?" jeonghan muttered to himself, catching the attention of seungcheol and wonwoo.

"lee jihoon's brothers are here?" wonwoo asked as he adjusted his glasses again and organized his other books. seungcheol wondered who the two were talking about to realize that the two boys in the garden were probably a part of royalty.

his mind assumed the two were a branch in the lee family of the neighboring country to the east. his lips curved up and he looked back to the two playing around but his brow raised in confusion when he saw that they weren't wearing royal garments.

"i've never heard of a prince named lee jihoon, the only lee prince i've met is jooheon–" "lee jihoon is not a prince, he's a soloist under universe entertainment. those two boys playing in the garden are his brothers," wonwoo said as he looked out the window with a fond smile on his face.

"the queen requested for him to perform some songs for the ball, he was guaranteed safety and a nice stay here. his only condition was that he could take his brothers as well." jeonghan started looking for the switch to open the windows.

"seokmin is a sixteen-year-old, he's not famous in anything but he posts vocal covers from time to time. chan is a fourteen-year-old, he's part of a popular dance team from nalgi highschool. that's all i got from joshua-hyung." wonwoo pressed something on his phone then the windows started to open.

seungcheol watched the glass move slowly to let the breeze in, keeping his gaze on the two boys. he was fascinated by how they smiled while playing, their eyes slanting along with the rise of their cheeks. it gave the prince a warm feeling, one he hasn't felt in a while.

"hey minnie, channie!" jeonghan called out.

the two boys' attention averted to the window by their side and noticed the three older ones staring right at them. seokmin realized the one in the middle was the prince and chan seemed to catch on to that as well. they quickly bowed, surprising seungcheol and jeonghan.

"your highness, they're bowing to you," wonwoo pointed out. seungcheol wondered why until jeonghan tapped on his shoulder. when the prince's attention and gaze met jeonghan, the other made a crown with his hands then pointed to him.

"oH– boys, please raise your heads! don't think of me as the prince until the ball," seungcheol yelled out, his voice only letting out a sweet intent. seokmin and chan lifted their heads then smiled and waved at the three. seungcheol waved back, wonwoo only stared at the boys with books in his hand, and jeonghan did a little salute as his greeting.

"hi jeonghan-hyung! hello mr. librarian! greetings, your highness!" seokmin gave them a big wave accompanied by a grin. chan gave them an equally happy wave, only keeping his mouth shut. jeonghan noticed this and an idea came to him.

"channie, do you wanna greet hyung with a hug–" "hell no!" chan shouted as he began running towards the exit of the garden. seokmin ran after him after giving them all a final wave, telling chan to 'wait up'.

jeonghan fell over, laughing at the boy. wonwoo closed the windows while the older tried to compose himself from his laughter. 

on the other hand, seungcheol felt a fuzzy feeling run through his body. his eyes were fixated on the garden, where the boys were playing and running around. he caught a glimpse of them at the end of the garden, talking to each other as if they had been friends for all of their lives. he wondered what having a younger brother felt like, looking at the two converse.

"hyung, how do you know those two?" wonwoo asked. 

"the queen always asks me to run some errands in the city. i met them when seokmin injured himself, helped them out and we've been friends ever since. though, i haven't met jihoon personally yet."

jeonghan wiped the tears from his laughter when suddenly, the prince turned around and looked dead serious at wonwoo. his expression was cold and mysterious, which caught wonwoo's attention. the bookworm wondered what he did wrong to make the prince look at him so coldly.

"wonu, why don't you ever call me hyung?" seungcheol asked, suddenly giving the younger puppy eyes.

jeonghan began laughing again, bursting into tears as he held his stomach. wonwoo took a minute to process what he just said, his glasses slipping as he stood still. seungcheol kept doing his puppy eyes and the more jeonghan looked at it, the latter only laughed more.

"your highness, it would be against my personal code of respect. i'm not going to call you hyung, you're of higher status than being my brother," wonwoo explained, adjusting his glasses once again.

"but, you always call shua and jeonghan with hyung. i wanna hear you call me that too," seungcheol said, moving closer to the younger with his hands clasped together. wonwoo scowled, squeezing the books he had against his chest. jeonghan continued laughing, enjoying how wonwoo's tough exterior was breaking with seungcheol's attitude.

"can you say it at least once, pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee–" "yeAH WONWOO! i-i need this as a video," jeonghan pulled out his phone as chuckles escaped his lips.

 _"remember wonwoo, it'll only get worse when joshua-_ _hyung_ _comes along,"_ wonwoo thought to himself. as if the god above heard him, jisoo opened the library doors. he spotted seungcheol's puppy eyes, jeonghan laughing with his phone out so he knew exactly what was going on. he grinned and started making his way towards them.

"nO! all three of you, get out of my library!"

**˚* ❀**


	3. the spring ball

**˚* ❀**

_**the spring ball** _

a dream played slowly in the prince's mind. as if a piece of a film appeared in front of him. cherry blossoms fell from their high branches as magnolias stood still behind a flowing fountain. a man stood tall in front of the structure, his face crossed out.

beside him was the queen, holding a sleeping baby in her arms. both the man and his mother looked at the baby, holding its small hands as it reached out for them.

seungcheol felt his body become fuzzy, his heart slowing its beat as his lips curved into a smile. he wondered how the baby looked, who these people really were. he felt like he knew who they were, he felt like he's seen all of this before as if it's all just replaying.

the man noticed him standing with them in the mini garden they had. he knelt down in front of him and held out his arms. the feeling he was giving was so familiar, maybe the warmest feeling in the world. maybe it was the feeling of seeing a beautiful scene. maybe it was the feeling of seeing a new life come into the world.

in a split second, the x that covered the man's face was about to tear off. that was when seungcheol ran into the man's arms, wrapping the other in a hug full of tears.

_no, it was definitely the feeling of being complete._

"seungcheol, wake up! the queen is outside!" the blanket on him was yanked off as a shout hit him.

"i-i'm up! i'm uP!" seungcheol jolted awake, falling off his bed in a hurry. jeonghan chuckled as he watched him fall in his bunny pajamas while jisoo tried to suppress a laugh as he held the prince's blanket. the door of his bedroom opened, revealing the queen in all her glory.

"alright, you two can go now," the queen said with a gentle smile. jisoo folded the blanket and put it back on the prince's bed. the two bowed to her before leaving the two to speak with each other, joking with each other before completely closing the door.

the queen sat on her son's bed, waiting for him to notice her there.

seungcheol pushed himself up then dropped himself onto his bed, facing his mother. she smiled at him, helping him up to sit down. he rubbed his eyes then looked at his mother again.

"you ready for the ball tonight? your grandfather will be dancing around again, but no worries, the doctors said he'll be fine," the queen said, enthusiastically. she looked to seungcheol and noticed how her son's expression wasn't his usual gummy smile. instead, it was the face he made whenever he was thinking too deeply.

but, she chose to ignore it. besides, he just woke up so his brain must be starting up for the day.

"i'm sure there'll be many princesses and daughters of presidents. you can get to know them and maybe have, you know, a relationship." the queen appeared giddy at the thought. her son was finally old enough to get into more serious relationships and this was the night he could do just that.

"then after a few years, you two could get married and give me grandbabies-" "mom, i'm curious."

the queen's face perked up, seeing that her son had finally snapped out of his thinking. she smiled at him and urged him to ask whatever question he had.

"i-i saw lee seokmin with his little brother a-and i was wondering if you ever thought about having another child before father disappeared," seungcheol sheepishly said. he covered the back of his neck as he looked down to the floor.

his mother's kind smile slowly fell.

"i wish you hadn't mentioned that," she whispered to herself. seungcheol was almost sweating by now, remembering all the warnings to never mention the king who disappeared.

then, as much as they both hated it, silence engulfed the room. the birds outside slowed their chirps and the ticking of the clock was being drowned out by the rush of blood in seungcheol's veins. he might've said something wrong and he may just see his mother burst.

the prince didn't know if it was just him or his ears but he was sure that he couldn't even hear his mother breathe. it was as if medusa turned her into stone. then, seungcheol's mind finally built up the courage to look up to his mother and when he did, he couldn't believe his eyes. she was eeriely still, her chest being the only thing moving. her once rosy cheeks turned pale and colorless, her eyes stopped moving and her hands held their position on her lap.

seungcheol definitely said something wrong.

after a few more seconds of the drowning silence, seungcheol heard footsteps outside of his door. it was followed by a knock and a hearty voice he really loved.

"seungcheol, your dear old grandpa is here to visit! i have cookies from jeonghan and jisoo! they told me not to tell your mother though."

_how lucky the prince was to have his grandfather._

his grandfather opened the door a bit and poked his head inside while holding a tray of cookies. he noticed how awkward his grandson looked then saw his daughter, looking like a mannequin.

 _"oh, your mother's here,"_ his grandfather froze with a smile.

he walked over with the tray of goodies and sat next to seungcheol. he handed him a cookie and started eating one as well. seungcheol stared at his grandfather as he attempted to also put one in his daughter's hand.

"eat while you can, she's frozen at the moment," he whispered to the prince.

seungcheol bit into the baked goody and broke into a grin. the silence was halfway gone with his grandfather and the devil twins'-he likes calling them devil twins-cookies. they sat there eating while they could, not wanting to disturb the frozen queen.

"so, what'd you say to make her like that?" his grandfather asked, still chewing on a cookie.

"i mentioned my father," seungcheol replied, also chewing on a cookie.

"seems reasonable- wa i t. oh my god, you mentioned your **_father_**."

his grandfather sprung off the bed and started shaking his daughter while shouting, "chUNHEI, THE BALL IS TONIGHT YOU CAN'T BE THINKING ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND-"

seungcheol ate the rest of his cookie and tried to take his grandfather's hands off his mother's shoulders. but with all the shaking and shouting, she managed to snap out of her trance and her father stopped the shaking. she looked at him then to her son then down to the cookie on her hand.

"seungcheol, you puked when you ate this last time," his mother deadpanned.

**_**

"she froze when seungcheol said something about his father? i'd say he probably cheated on her with a-" "han, please, i'd say he probably fell out of love and tried to elope."

"will you two cut it out? we're at a royal ball right now. no wonder his highness calls you two the devil twins."

"wonu, we are not devils! well, josh might be but i'm as sweet as an angel. i was born on october 10, ya'know."

wonwoo sighed as he went back to his book. he didn't want to be there but he was formally invited by seungcheol and who was he to decline with the reason of stuffing his face in articles and stories all night.

everyone in the ballroom was dressed up and making conversation with each other. even jeonghan and jisoo were talking about their days. wonwoo, on the other hand, felt sick and dizzy that he was around so much noise.

he never really was the type to be around parties. every time he looked at someone with a puffy dress or a fashionable suit, he grew insecure and felt the well in his stomach conjure up a storm. when he felt the stares of some girls on him, he was starting to shake and sweat.

wonwoo turned back to the two conversing and tried to ask them to hold his hand or cover his ears but he thought he might be made fun of if he did that.

so instead, he tapped on jeonghan's shoulder to get his attention.

"i'm g-going outside for a while, i n-need some fresh a-air."

jeonghan smiled and patted the younger's head. jisoo gave wonwoo a handkerchief for his sweat and gave him an equally angelic smile.

"okay, stay safe. call us when you need us."

wonwoo nodded and made his way out of the event area. jeonghan looked at his phone for the time while jisoo fixed his clothes and took a pastry that the butlers were offering.

the music filling the air was beautiful, even the lights and decorations added to the scene. nobility from the farthest sides of the country and people from the closest corners were engaging themselves in the beauty of the party. the queen outdid herself with rigorous planning, even knowing that she still had a festival to attend a few weeks after for her people. jeonghan wondered why wonwoo was getting nervous around it.

"hey shua,"

"hm?"

"bet, i'm gonna be the one wonu calls when he gets in trouble or finds something," jeonghan smirked at the other, his eyes filling with mischief, holding a new drink in his hand. jisoo caught on and sighed. the other saw this as a sign that he might not accept the bet.

but, as always, jisoo gave him a smile and raised a pinky for him. "let's see, hannie."

then, as if on cue, the trumpets atop the stairs of the ballroom let out their loud calls. everyone looked to the platform, on where the doors opened by the hands of the royal guards. once it opened, the entrance showed three figures. the one in the middle with a beautiful, elegant gown and the two others wearing intricately designed suits.

"ladies and gentlemen, may i introduce the hosts of this ball. the former king, choi sangcheol, father of the current queen," said the butler by the door. seungcheol's grandfather waved to the crowd with a heartwarming smile.

"her majesty, queen choi chunhei." the queen raised her hand and waved it slowly, accompanied by a beautiful smile.

"and the son of the queen, his highness, prince choi seungcheol." seungcheol waved shyly with his signature gummy smile. almost all the girls swooned or felt something different when he showed himself. the prince looked stunning and everyone was sure there could be possible arguments on who could dance with him first.

seungcheol spotted jeonghan and jisoo by the side of the ballroom, jeonghan drinking his juice while jisoo was enjoying the finger foods being offered. seungcheol waved at them which earned the two special attention from nearby princesses and daughters of presidents. however, that didn't stop the two from waving back.

they went down the flight of stairs and made their way towards the seats prepared for them, overseeing the breathtaking room. they stood before their assigned seats and faced the audience again.

"welcome to the annual spring ball and the 436th year anniversary of the founding of this beautiful kingdom. let us take our worries away and enjoy the night!" the queen exclaimed as the guests clapped.

"now, i introduce to you a special guest and singer, lee jihoon with three of his best songs!"

the guests clapped as a beautiful blonde boy stepped onto the platform where the musicians sat. he looked so ethereal and majestic with his sly smile and his simple suit as he walked to the microphone.

he placed his hands on the microphone stand then nodded to the players in front of him. with that, his first song started and the audience went back to conversing with each other.

some people stayed to have a good listen of jihoon and the instrumental while the servants continued to pass around snacks for those who were by the sides. all while some people already started dancing.

seungcheol's grandfather and his mother took their seats on the ones provided for them but, seungcheol went his way towards his friends.

"hopefully, he'll find someone tonight," the queen mentioned to her father. her hands were playing with her sleeves' ruffles while she bit her lip in anticipation. sangcheol chuckled as he watched his grandson happily reach his two friends.

"chunhei, today's the anniversary of your kingdom. your son's love life can come in later."

**_**

as soon as seungcheol left the company of his family, multiple ladies tried to convince him to dance with them. he politely declined all of them, knowing they wouldn't dare try and make a scene.

his eyes caught sight of his friend once everyone made way for him. he called out their names and they turned around to greet him.

jeonghan gave seungcheol a drink and jisoo offered a little snack he took from the buffet-it was a little sandwich with lots of meat in it, seungcheol's favorite. he whispered a little thanks to the both of them while taking his place next to jeonghan.

"where's wonwoo? i hope he didn't decline, he rarely comes to parties like this," seungcheol said as he took a bite into the snack in his hand. jeonghan chuckled then held his finger out to point to the scenery outside.

"he gets anxious around crowds and parties but at the same time, he gets anxious when he goes against your requests," jeonghan stated. jisoo nodded to what he said as he kept eating.

"he was sweating and now, i don't have my favorite handkerchief," jisoo said. jeonghan then smacked him, telling him he still had an extra one somewhere in his suit.

he did but not gonna lie, the one wonwoo has was his favorite. it had 'sunday morning, rain is falling' on it.

seungcheol felt bad since he invited the boy over for the party. little rumbles built up in him when he heard jeonghan mention that wonwoo doesn't like being around that many new people. he should've known, especially when he wants to be a closer friend for wonwoo, a source of the best comfort.

he wanted to be the fire in the little lamp that guides you through the dim road. maybe he could be the clear moon after a gloomy day. he could even be the warm hugs after your tears are wiped away. seungcheol just wanted to be a big brother to someone, a comfort after pain.

"shua, aren't you supposed to be looking after the lee brothers? they were invited, right?" jeonghan asked, placing his glass on the buffet table.

"they arrived a while ago. seokmin told me to enjoy myself for a while, they'll find me later after listening to their brother on the stage," jisoo explained with an endearing smile. jeonghan noticed this and got an idea. he smirked with devilish intent.

"aw shua, ya'know you can't date minnie. he's underaged-" "nO! i'm not thinking about dating him! he just has a really nice voice and he smiles like the sun!" jisoo whisper shouted as he covered jeonghan's mouth. seungcheol laughed at the two and some people gushed over how sweet the sound was.

seungcheol looked around the giant ballroom, his eyes catching different people doing different things. his tummy made a small rumbling sound so he went to the farther side of the buffet, leaving the two to tease each other about their crushes.

he saw a small chocolate fountain with some sweets at the bottom and grabbed a small plate and a toothpick from the table. he poked through different flower-shaped marshmallows and put them under the flowing chocolate.

as his hand waved a bit, covering the marshmallows in sweet liquid, it bumped into someone else's hand. seungcheol looked to his side and there he saw a smiling lee seokmin who had his mouth open to say something, next to lee chan on his phone.

"sorry about that," seungcheol said as he continued to collect chocolate covered marshmallows. 

"i-it's alright, your highness," seokmin said as he too continued to get some sweets.

seokmin felt a tug on his sleeve so he looked over to who was taking his attention. it was chan, looking up to him while pointing at the stage. where their brother was performing.

"hyung, he's about to finish his song. better hurry before he comes scolding us about too many sweets," chan said as he took a lollipop and started peeling the plastic off. seokmin began eating faster, stuffing his face with chocolate since he had nowhere to put it in.

seungcheol caught onto this and tapped seokmin's shoulder. once the younger looked to him, he pointed over to jisoo and jeonghan at the farther side of the table. he grinned and said, "those two are pretty smart when it comes to hiding things. come with me."

seokmin swallowed the last bit of marshmallow in his mouth and took more sweets from the table. he took chan's hand, catching the younger off guard, then followed seungcheol to the other two.

jisoo and jeonghan were listening to jihoon's singing as the other people around them were dancing to the funky beat of the composition. seungcheol tapped both of their shoulders, causing them to synchronize in turning around. they both caught the sight of seokmin and chan with hands full of candy.

jisoo looked to the far side of the table, where the chocolate fountain stayed, noticing other people starting to crowd around it. all while jeonghan smirked at the three in front of him. he laid out a handkerchief for them then motioned for them to put all their candy into it. once they did, he handed it over to jisoo.

he, on the other hand, tied it tightly onto his belt then put another handkerchief on it, styling it as if it were a part of the outfit. they both chuckled then smiled at the three.

then, in a sudden, a loud roar of applause came from the guests of the party.

"thank god, you did it just in time. hyung's already done with his songs," chan said, his eyes shining from relief. seokmin sighed softly, turning to thank the prince for helping them.

after he thanked the audience, jihoon stepped down from the stage then made his way to where his brothers were. when he saw a clear vision of them, he noticed the prince by their side and two other people he'd never seen before.

he walked over to them, taking their attention. seokmin hugged his brother, telling him how good he sounded, while chan chucked the rest of his lollipop out the window. jeonghan laughed when he did so since jihoon saw it anyway

seungcheol swore he heard someone shout about it getting stuck in their hair.

"a pleasure to meet you, your highness. please excuse my brothers, they've never accompanied me for my job before. my name's lee jihoon, her majesty invited me," jihoon held out his hand for the prince while seokmin released him from the hug.

"the pleasure is mine. your brothers are nice but, i do recommend keeping their distance from my two friends here," seungcheol said as he shook jihoon's hand and gestured to jeonghan and jisoo.

"i didn't know sir jisoo was a friend of the prince," jihoon mentioned, looking over to jisoo who smiled at him. jeonghan waved at him and jihoon gave a little wave back despite not knowing who he was.

"i've known him since we were six. my mother assigned them to stay with me because i get lonely but i grew to love them, just as how your brothers love you." seungcheol smiled, gesturing to the two boys with him.

jihoon glared at chan for a split second before returning his gaze to the prince.

"hopefully they do, they rarely ever listen to me when i tell them not to take too much candy," jihoon whispered to seungcheol. the prince let out a little chuckle, which made chan and seokmin wonder what their big brother said to make royalty laugh like that.

jeonghan watched the five of them continue to introduce each other to themselves while he stood by. he knew this was one of the rare times seungcheol or jisoo could interact with people from outside of the castle. he had the privilege to go out whenever he wanted and that made his heartache a bit for his friends who could rarely go out because of their duties. besides, the lee kids were good boys.

in the midst of classical music and the loud chatting, jeonghan's phone began to vibrate.

he took it out of his pocket and saw that wonwoo was calling him. he pressed the answer button and he was immediately greeted with the sounds of panting from the other side of the phone.

 _"h-_ _hyung_ _! i'm lost! i was just walking around the garden then i came a-across a weird pa-path, i-i don't know where i a-am! h-_ _hyung_ _, please!"_

"wonu, calm down, a few deep breaths please. we'll do this slowly, okay?" jeonghan said into the phone as he held it tightly. wonwoo was panicking and it wasn't the normal state he would always be in.

 _"b-but_ _hyung_ _, there are no l-lights! n-no one's even here!"_

"wonu, hyung promises he'll be there as fast as he can but first, i need you to turn on the flashlight and describe the area."

 _"i-it's dark and messy. overgrown v-vines, a circular wall covered in wilting_ _r-roses_ _and magnolias a-and- and-"_ "and?"

jeonghan heard rustling through the other side and wonwoo letting out little sniffles. then the rustling stopped, wonwoo finally getting a little bit of control over his breath.

 _"a r-running_ _fou_ _-fountain?"_

jeonghan's eyes widened and his breath hitched. he looked over to jisoo with fear in his eyes. the latter's attention went to him and he saw the petrified look on his friend. jisoo tapped on seungcheol's shoulder and he turned around to see jeonghan's scared face.

jihoon and his brothers caught onto the tension filling the three of them. seokmin held jihoon's hand in fear while his big brother held back chan from asking what was wrong. now was not the time for chan's straightforwardness.

 _"_ _hyung_ _?_ _a-are_ _you there?"_

jeonghan put the phone down a bit, making sure not to end the call but not close enough to be heard. he looked to jisoo and mouthed a simple sentence for him to understand how bad the situation was.

"wonwoo's **there.** "

**°* ❀**


	4. let's fall

**˚* ❀**

_**let's** _ _**fall** _

the moon was shining against the waters of the garden fountains that lined the rows upon rows of bushes filled with flowers. the stars twinkled to a tune only they could hear as the beautiful night sky hugged them all, wrapping anyone who looked up in a calming spell.

well, except six running idiots.

"wonwoo's missing and we're j-ust supposed to follow y-you as if you knOW where he is?!" seungcheol let out, his breath running out with every word.

"your highness, y-you have to trust han, he got a hold of wonwoo and he's the only one with info on wh-ere he is!" jisoo shouted back, trying to stay calm even if he knew he lost his younger friend.

"trust? tRUST? we somehow got three guests in our shenanigans because of his persuasion!" seungcheol shouted back, his pace slowing down.

a singer and his two brothers were with them when they were supposed to be enjoying the party back in the castle. instead, they were running around in a garden, looking for someone they probably barely knew.

seungcheol looked to the three behind him. they didn't look tired or wanting to complain, they even looked better than he did. he was sweating and panting while those three looked fine, excited even.

"h-how are you three even keeping up?" seungcheol asked, still running alongside them.

"chan and i were trained to have a lot of stamina. i was taught some breathing techniques, chan dances a lot so he has to keep up–" jihoon took in a breath then put his gaze on his grinning brother, "seokmin's just hyper."

"we're comING TO SAVE YOU MR. LIBRARIAN!" seokmin shouted with all his might. seungcheol chuckled with jihoon as the younger one looked out to the path ahead with such determination. chan hit the cheery boy on the head and muttered something about catching some guests' attention.

the part of the garden they were running in was thick with trees as if they weren't even in the castle's borders anymore. the moon barely shone through the leaves of the twisting branches. more and more grass was appearing with every step they took.

jeonghan stopped in front of a gate held tightly by the vines hanging from its sharp spikes. he sighed at the sight, knowing what a pain it'll be if he tries to pry these pesky nature ropes off of the thing. he pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, handing it over to jisoo to hold it up.

"you three, please stand back," jisoo pointed at the brothers and motioned them to move. seokmin looked towards the gate with a curious gaze, chan looked unamused since it was just a gate while jihoon kept them both behind his arms.

seungcheol provided more light but pulling out his phone and flashing the flashlight towards the vines.

"jeonghan, where even are we?" seungcheol asked, noticing how the trees of the garden trapped them and the path leading back was almost disappearing.

"a restricted part of the castle grounds, only your mother and i have the access to this place. future kings and queens– AAAAAA my goodness, that's a huge ass thorn– aren't supposed to see this until they're crowned." jeonghan tried pulling the vines away from the gates, getting a little poke from a nearby thorn in the process.

jisoo facepalmed when he heard his friend speak.

"listen, i'll get in trouble if her majesty knew about this so– shua, the flaSHLIGHTTTTT, ok thank you– so, please just keep quiet about this."

jeonghan kept struggling with the vines. every time he was able to rip one away, it only grew back two times thicker with more thorns and less space to make up for it. this frustrated him and he was about to pull all his hair out.

"j-jeonghan-hyung? are y-you there?" there was a voice from the other side of the gate.

"wonu! don't worry, hyung's just having some minor difficulties," jeonghan said hastily as he kept ripping off all the vines, only for them to return with strength.

he stepped back in defeat, trying to catch his breath. his hands were on his knees and his breathing was uneven. the boy was calming himself, only to ram himself into the gate.

it made a loud bang, which frightened the three brothers and the prince. jisoo only stood there, without flinching at the sight or the sound. seungcheol hurried to jeonghan's side, knowing that there were still thorns adorning the vines. he shone his light towards him as he used his other hand to turn jeonghan over to see if there were any wounds.

but to his great surprise, when he turned him over, there were no wounds. there were only cuts on his suit. seungcheol quickly checked other parts of jeonghan, only to find thorns on the hand that never touched the gate.

"jeonghan, wake up. wonwoo is waiting for you to open that gate, he's scared inside there," seungcheol whispered as he shook his friend a bit. jisoo could sense the fear in the prince's voice. he knew he kept his voice down so wonwoo wouldn't worry even more if he knew jeonghan was unconscious.

he looked to the brothers and saw that they were equally as scared as seungcheol. he sighed and apologized for the inconvenience he and jeonghan were being. he then kneeled by jeonghan's side and propped him up. he hid the thorny hand using his own and blew on jeonghan's nose. this caused the other to awaken and see his friend's face.

"never do that again, you almost got spit on my face," jeonghan scowled, his eyes filling with murderous intent.

"han, i know this isn't ideal but we need to let him do it or wonu will stay stuck in there," jisoo whispered. jeonghan weakly nodded as he stood on his own then went to the brothers to keep them from seeing any more terrifying things.

"your highness, i need you to stand in front of the gate and look for the handle. you're royalty so i'll assume it somehow can sense the next king or something," jisoo explained while he dusted off the dirt from his suit.

seungcheol stood up and faced the gate in front of him. he looked to where a handle would normally be and saw multiple thorny vines surrounding it. they tightened at the sight of a new person and grew more thorns.

"please work, wonu's scared in there."

seungcheol dug his hand through the vines, feeling for the handle. his other hand reached up to his neck because it started to itch, maybe he was allergic to these plants. he knows that he should keep his neck hidden, jeonghan always told him he has an unattractive scar there from when he was young.

he kept scratching his neck until he had to lower his collar a bit, starting to sweat from the discomfort he was feeling.

finally, seungcheol's hand felt a handle and he grabbed onto it. the vines tightened even more, but slowly for they were unsure with the prince. his finger felt a little thing poke him and puncture his soft skin. he let out a sound of pain and the plants completely came to a halt.

the scene that happened next amazed seungcheol and the others. the twisting vines, used to be filled with thorns, were being replaced by blooming magnolias and cherry blossoms. it was peculiar, those flowers don't grow on these kinds of vines.

they all began retracting away from the gate and the handle. seungcheol took this chance and twisted the handle and pushed open the gate. once he opened them fully, the darkness surrounding wonwoo disappeared and lamps, that weren't there, started appearing with their light.

"y-your highness?" wonwoo raised his head, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"thank goodness, you're safe," seungcheol ran to the boy who had his knees to his chest by the fountain. he squeezed wonwoo in a tight hug, letting out a relieved sigh. jeonghan ran to them and joined the hug, letting out frustrated tears escape. jisoo chuckled–even though it was a bad time for it–and embraced all three of them in a warm hug.

"my goodness, i was worried," jisoo said, feeling his calmness disappear with a shaky breath.

"mr. libraRIANNNN, YOU'RE SAFEEEE!" seokmin ran to them, joining the hug with tears pouring from his eyes. jihoon let out a tired sigh while chan took a picture of seokmin crying, which earned a smack on the head from the older.

while the others were busy hugging wonwoo and jihoon was trying to calm seokmin, chan began looking around the area. they were surrounded by a circular wall, covered in overgrown vines, hundreds of magnolias and twisting cherry blossom trees. there were bright lamps protruding from between the gaps of the vines. the grass was taller than it should be, growing uneven on some spots. the gate was old and rusty, flowers almost invading the hinges.

in the middle of it all stood a fountain carved with intricate designs from marble, its water almost covered by hundreds of petals from the cherry blossoms. however, the flowing water didn't seem to be dirty, it was clear as crystal.

"huh, i guess the rich really go out on things for the aesthetic," chan said as he pulled out his phone to take a picture.

jeonghan and jisoo let go of wonwoo and waited for seungcheol to let go as well. wonwoo calmed down after a few more seconds in the prince's arms and that was when he let go. he looked around and saw the beautiful scenery, overwhelming his imagination.

jeonghan looked to seungcheol and pulled up his collar, whispering to him about his little scar. seungcheol turned red and pulled up his collar even further upwards.

"when did the lights appear?" wonwoo asked, pointing at the lit lamps on the wall. seungcheol noticed them as well and he swore that there was no light coming from inside when he was in front of the gate.

"it's new technology, they only turn on when the gate is opened," jeonghan explained as he wrapped his hand in a piece of cloth to hide the thorns sticking out.

"speaking of which, how did you even get in here without opening it?" jisoo asked. wonwoo froze up and scratched his nape sheepishly, remembering how he got there in the first place.

"i saw a cat and i wanted to pet it then it led me here. it got stuck on one of the trees so i climbed up and fell." wonwoo laughed it off but he could feel seungcheol's and jeonghan's gazes burn through his skin. he looked to them and noticed their anger seeping out of their eyes and lips.

"wonwoo, if you wanted a cat, you could've just told me!" seungcheol said, his voice fuming with irritation.

"over a cat? wonu, we go to a cat cafe every week! you don't even order any drinks!" jeonghan pointed out.

"in my defense, i would be too distracted by the beautiful creatures." wonwoo pointed back at him.

"jeonghan-hyung, at least mr. librarian is safe," seokmin said, outshining the lights with his own smile. seungcheol and jeonghan eased up when they were faced by the shining sun himself. wonwoo felt himself turn red at seokmin's way of calling him.

"um seokmin, after playing maple story with you, i think you should know that i'm actually younger than jeonghan-hyung," wonwoo said while pointing at jeonghan. seokmin's brain short-circuited while seungcheol helped jeonghan and wonwoo get off the ground.

jihoon sighed as he waved his hand in front of seokmin's face and chan took another picture with a laugh. jisoo remembered that there was still a party going on and they brought three of the guests into a wild goose chase. once seokmin went back to normal, jisoo spoke up.

"to lee jihoon, lee seokmin and lee chan, we apologize for ruining your night. jeonghan and i would be glad to extend your stay at the castle as proper compensation," jisoo said as he did his ninety-degree bow to them.

with that, seokmin's and chan's eyes shone with interest.

"that's cool! i wanna go horse riding!"

"do you guys have any rooms with ridiculously giant mirrors? i've wanna learn new choreos."

"it's alright, really no need for an extension–" "hyung, you can't take away this chance! our apartment's too small to practice in and seokmin-hyung has always wanted to ride a horse!" chan pointed out.

"chan, i swear, we can't abuse their kindness," jihoon said, his voice rising a bit. seungcheol sensed the tension thickening so he went in between the two and smiled to both of them.

"mr. lee, this isn't from kindness, it's an apology. we took you three away from a good night and put you in a stressful situation. i'm sure my mother will understand," seungcheol said with a welcoming smile.

jihoon sighed, knowing he couldn't refuse an offer from the prince. he looked to chan and seokmin, the two were doing their best puppy eyes. he took in a deep breath and nodded, accepting the extension of their stay.

"thank god, i thought we were gonna have a fight again," chan said, earning a weird look from seungcheol. he noticed this look and saw how seungcheol's expression changed a bit.

they made a little eye contact. seungcheol's head tilted while making sure it wouldn't show his scar. his eyes shined with a child's curiosity but accompanied with the emptiness of an adult. the way he stood was lonely, even when he had six people with him. his right hand held onto his left elbow, rubbing it in a comforting manner. it wasn't a new sight to chan but to see on the prince was a surprise.

call chan crazy but it seemed like seungcheol didn't spend time with his family.

"your highness, don't you also fight with your family? like politics or shit?" chan asked.

jihoon smacked his shoulder and muttered about not swearing. seokmin told chan to keep quiet, as it might be a sensitive topic for the prince. seungcheol's eyes widened when jihoon did what he did while jisoo tried answering for seungcheol.

wonwoo laughed a bit with jeonghan at the scene happening in front of them. although, there was a little swirl in wonwoo's stomach that he couldn't ignore. his mind was waiting for seungcheol's answer, not knowing why it was so anxious.

"i don't actually spend much time with my family. my mother's been busy ever since my father disappeared when i was young. my grandpa used to take care of me but he started getting health problems when i turned nine," seungcheol explained.

chan felt his heart sink a bit with his answer. the prince didn't seem affected by it and he was even smiling when he spoke.

"my mother introduced me to jeonghan and josh when i was twelve so i wouldn't be lonely! i only ever fight with jeonghan though," seungcheol added.

"hey, i'm pretty sure shua fights with you too," jeonghan said, a grin on his face. jisoo heard this and playfully held jeonghan by his collar and began shaking him.

"i don't fight with his highness, don't spread lies about me–" "wanna bet on it?"

they started having a cat fight while chan continued talking with seungcheol.

"you don't have any siblings or something? it must be lonely around the castle," chan pointed out as he sat on the ledge of the fountain. seungcheol sat next to him and smiled sadly with a sigh.

"i've always wanted a younger brother. there's just this empty feeling whenever i think of a sibling, like i'm missing someone i've never met," seungcheol said, running his hand through the water of the fountain. his eyes longingly looked up to the night sky.

there was something about how the stars weren't alone in the darkness of the night. there was something about looking at the moon, knowing that it had the earth to keep company. there was just something about having someone there to spend time with, even without romance involved.

"well, your majesty, we can be your brothers while we're still here!" seokmin happily said as he raised a fist in the air.

"minnie, the correct term for a prince is 'your highness', what you just said was for the queen." jihoon patted seokmin's hair as he short-circuited once again.

wonwoo sat next to seungcheol when he overheard their conversation while he was trying to stop jeonghan from scratching jisoo. he wrapped his arm around seungcheol's shoulders and shyly looked away. seungcheol was surprised but he softly smiled when he realized wonwoo was trying to make him feel better.

"but won't he be a king anyways? why can't we call him majesty now–" "chan, i make songs, not royal rules."

seungcheol chuckled with all the warmth he was feeling, his heart beating as if it had a purpose again.

seungcheol stood up, ready to enjoy the rest of the night. wonwoo followed and kept his arm on seungcheol's shoulders. chan, on the other hand, tried to do a little kick in the air for cheerful stand but something else happened. he fell into the fountain, causing everyone to freeze from the loud splash he made.

jeonghan's and jisoo's eyes widened when they heard the splash but kept their mouths shut. jihoon looked inside the fountain, laughing as he moved all the petals to get his brother out of there. however, he was met with another sight. one that he didn't expect to happen.

chan wasn't there.

"chan? please tell me you're hiding," jihoon shakily said. there was no answer from any direction and he could feel his body shake in even more fear.

he started moving more petals away from where his brother fell. he checked every part of the fountain but he wasn't there. jihoon's heart started pounding in worry.

"chan, this isn't funny, where are you?" jihoon looked around, not seeing any way he could've sprinted without being seen or heard.

"shit," jihoon muttered as his eyes looked to the water of the fountain. the petals were beautifully shining with the water and the overgrown moss on the sides of the fountain were swaying. he had a hunch on where chan might've gone but he wasn't sure if he was right or he had become insane.

he looked towards the water once again and fell into it.

seungcheol's eyes widened when he saw jihoon disappear into the water, his mouth opened by itself and shouted, "j-jihoon's gone!"

seokmin's ears caught the words and he looked towards where he disappeared and almost went in. that was until wonwoo grabbed his wrist and panted out something about not jumping in. they made eye contact, seeing the fear and worry in each other's eyes grow with every second.

"i'm sorry wonwoo-hyung," seokmin said as he fell in, pulling in wonwoo along with him.

seungcheol felt himself freeze but when he looked into the water, the petals parted their ways to show him his moving reflection. it was as if he was being invited to jump in and join the others. his eyes sparkled and his collar was lowering the more he looked down. he took in a deep breath and gave himself his choice.

the prince felt a wave of comfort go over him before he took in a deep breath and climbed onto the edge of the flowing fountain.

"i need to go after them."

with that, seungcheol disappeared into the water.

"my goodness, they're disappearing one by one," jeonghan pointed out, looking at the cloth in his hand. the thorns were poking out and peeking to see the fountain behind him.

"well, i have only one duty and that's to protect the prince so i'll see you at breakfast tomorrow and take care of my guitar while i'm gone," jisoo said as he jumped in with no hesitation.

jeonghan kept looking at his hand, seeing more of the thorns poke out of the cloth. his lips formed a little smirk and he let out a drunken chuckle before getting up from the ground. he ran his hand through his hair before getting up on the edge of the fountain.

"well, at least i won the bet."

with that, jeonghan fell in and disappeared.

**˚* ❀**


	5. where the path leads us

**°* ❀**

**_where the path leads us_ **

in the midst of a dark sky, the twinkle of millions of gleaming stars danced alongside the beauty of the moon. the sound of running water could be heard, surrounding the prince who looked up to the tender heavens. his knees were held up to his chest with his arms holding them tight. his eyes reflected the thousands upon thousands of lights he saw.

flower petals began to embrace the prince in their fragrance. the petals were soft and cushioned him in a warm hug with a cool breeze. the beautiful things held the boy closely, leaning in to protect his body.

his breath slowed and his lips curved into a smile. his soul fell into an enchanting trance, his whole being feeling at ease when his body relaxed to the sound and scenery of nature.

_"seungcheol?"_

then in a blink of an eye, everything disappeared.

the prince looked around and noticed that he was only surrounded by the darkness that gave the stars their spotlight. he couldn't see the moon, he couldn't hear the water and he couldn't feel the flower petals embrace him. he spread his body out, trying to touch or find anything he could.

as he took a deep breath, his throat was squeezed by an unknown being. his hands reached up to his neck, scratching every area he could to remove the thing that choked him. his legs flailed in panic as his lungs began to give up.

his eyes were about to be gauged out of his head as his throat turned white in torture. his hands were thorns scratching against his neck the more he tried to remove it. his legs were roots, unable to keep moving the more they kept flailing. his whole body felt like poison about to explode and cease to exist. his neck began to bleed from frustration but his fingers kept pulling at his skin. his throat only kept tightening with every second that passed.

_"choi seungcheol."_

the prince's eyes filled with tears and his lips let out his final breath of life.

_"choi seungcheol!"_

seungcheol jolted awake as he felt his whole body shiver. his eyes blinked in surprise and his hands went up to his neck, checking if it was ripped open. there wasn't darkness surrounding him, his fingers weren't thorns and he could breathe perfectly. everything was normal.

except for the fact that he and the others were falling from a rather ridiculous height.

"thank god, you were unconscious for a while there!" seungcheol looked to his left and saw jeonghan and jisoo. jeonghan had taken off his suit's jacket then tied it around his belt and seungcheol's belt to keep him close. jisoo was holding onto the handkerchief full of candies to keep it all from spilling in the air.

seungcheol blinked in surprise then turned his head to his other side. there he saw wonwoo, seokmin and jihoon.

seokmin looked like he was fearing for the worst as he squeezed wonwoo's hand. jihoon's eyes were only filled with worry mixed with determination, knowing he had to get his brother back from whatever was happening.

"what the hell is happening?! why are we falling?!" seungcheol shouted as he finally came back to his senses.

jeonghan grinned as he finished tying the knot on his belt. he moved closer to seungcheol and covered his neck by raising the collar. a glow went across his eyes as he looked to the prince with enthusiasm. he parted his lips then said, "i suggest you keep your neck covered, it'll keep you from danger."

he then patted seungcheol shoulders and went back to where he was. seungcheol looked at him in disbelief and shouted, "yoon jeonghan, that makes no sense!"

"shush cheol, we're about to land~" jeonghan smirked as he pointed down. seungcheol looked down but saw nothing, only a dark nothingness. it was a void with no light so how could jeonghan say they were about to land when he couldn't see anything?

despite that, seungcheol had to trust him, he had no other thoughts at the moment rather than protecting others.

"seokmin! please let go of wonwoo and use your hands to protect your neck and head! wonwoo and jihoon, do the same!" seungcheol said, his worry and fear rising every second. jeonghan's eyes widened when he heard his voice, he knew what space the prince was in.

 _"holy shit, he didn't say_ _wonu_ _,"_ jeonghan thought as he looked to wonwoo and the two brothers following the prince's orders.

"jisoo! tighten up what you've been holding and do the same! fix your position and prepare for your feet to take the impact!" said seungcheol as he put his hands up to his neck and head.

 _"oh fuck, he didn't say shua,"_ jeonghan thought to himself as his hands put themselves on his neck.

seungcheol closed his eyes, trying to calm himself from all the possible outcomes of this. he could die from the acceleration and the impact, his legs could take all the shock and be unable to function or he could even do something wrong and become paralyzed forever. what was worse was that he had the responsibility over five other people falling from the same height.

his body could feel all the air around him make his clothes ruffle without control. his ears were deafening, only hearing the chaos within the screams of his fears. his arms and legs were jelly, wobbling every time they touched. his chest felt the banging of his heart against its cage, only knowing things could get worse. this could be the fall to his dismay.

then, in an instant, the ruffling of his clothes stopped and the sound of chaos silenced.

seungcheol was about to open his eyes until he felt two hands hold onto his wrists. he flinched at what greeted him when he looked for the person. through the lids of his eyes, he could only see brightness. his hands loosened their grip on his neck as the hands spread their warmth towards him.

the sensation was unfamiliar yet, comfortable. as if he had been touched by a god who knew so much more.

"seungcheol, calm down, they still need you."

the voice belonged to that of a lady. it didn't sound older than seungcheol nor did it sound any younger. it was strange, he didn't know how to describe the feeling from her or the sensation he felt when her fingertips touched the veins on his wrists. she felt like family but in a way where it felt new.

seungcheol took in deep breaths and slowly opened his eyes, wanting to see the girl. but instead, her hands were gone and his sight was met with him still falling alongside the others. the only difference was that they were going much slower and the acceleration stopped rising.

in a split second, their bodies met with a cold bath of deep water.

seungcheol looked down beneath him and saw the others lifeless, sinking deeper into the dark water. seungcheol struggled against the pressure of the water as jeonghan's weight pulled him down with the clothing wrapped around their belts. he tugged on it lightly then an idea struck him.

he yanked the cloth, aggressively shaking the sleeping jeonghan in the process. jeonghan woke up and felt his nose immediately fill with water when he took in a breath. he saw seungcheol above him, struggling against the water.

jeonghan looked down and saw the others sinking further away from them. he untied the cloth on his belt and swam towards wonwoo and jisoo, pulling them upwards. he tapped seungcheol on the way up then pointed to the two brothers as he held onto his friends.

seungcheol nodded and swam quickly to get the two. his hands grabbed the both of them and he wrapped both of his arms around their torsos. he began to swim upwards and see the light at the top of the water.

jeonghan felt the two in his arms wake up and breathe in a bit of the water. they both started to flail their limbs until they noticed in was jeonghan who was holding them. they began to hold their breath and help jeonghan swim upwards.

seungcheol was met with something similar, but only jihoon woke up. seokmin remained lifeless next to him so he swam up faster, worried out of his mind for the younger.

once seungcheol reached the top, he helped jihoon climb up then pushed up the unconscious seokmin. jihoon pulled seokmin's body out of the water. jeonghan, jisoo and wonwoo were there as well, coughing out all the water that went in them.

seungcheol pressed his hands against the edge of what seemed to be gold ropes and pushed himself upwards. his legs followed and jumped sideways over the thing. once he went up, he saw jihoon kneeling near seokmin. jeonghan was holding wonwoo as he shook in fear at the sight. jisoo quickly got rid of the water in him and rushed to seokmin's side, positioning his hands against his chest.

seungcheol knew not to interfere, jisoo was trained for situations like these. so, he stood there as jisoo's hands pressed firmly against seokmin's chest. with every second that passed, he could see jihoon's body shake in cold fear. seungcheol quickly went to him and did his best to calm him down, knowing that seokmin didn't want to see his brother crying once he awoke.

with a few more presses, right before jisoo was to proceed with mouth-to-mouth, seokmin's eyes shot open and his mouth spat water out. jisoo moved back as seokmin's forearm hit the ground and he began to cough all the water out.

seokmin looked to the others staring at him, seeing their scared stares. he sat up properly with water still spilling from his mouth as his hands held up a peace sign with a smile. jihoon quickly trapped him in a tight hug, surprising the younger one.

"hyung, you're being more touchy than usual," seokmin teased as he wrapped his arms around his brother. he noticed everyone else was soaking wet and they weren't in the mini-garden anymore.

"never scare me like that again," jihoon said, his hug tightening.

seungcheol's gaze softened as he watched the two brothers hug in fear of losing each other. he hasn't seen nor felt that sensation before. he could only ever stay in the castle, his only friends were jeonghan, jisoo and wonwoo. he's always wondered what it would be like to have someone fear losing you.

after the two boys separated, they helped each other stand and patted away the dirt on their soaking suits. the others followed in standing up and they noticed the change in their environment.

it was dark, but not a complete void. there was light coming from behind them, where the water came from. seungcheol found this peculiar, knowing that no one was holding up any flashlight. they just went underwater, he was sure no one's flashlight could work.

he turned around and his eyes were almost blinded by what he saw.

in front of him was a large pool of water, lined with long golden twisted ropes. behind the pool were tall shrubs filled with what seemed to be beautiful magnolia flowers and cherry blossoms stuck to a stone wall. shining petals flew down towards the calm waters, almost resembling gems as they shone downwards. there were even lanterns and street lamps surrounding the beautiful shrine

yet, those weren't as eye-catching as the main attraction seungcheol saw.

in the middle of everything was a towering statue of a woman. her stone hands were clasped together in a praying stance and a white flowing dress appeared to be draped over her figure. her eyes were closed and her hair was almost hidden by a silver veil with the most delicate designs. all while water flowed from her lidded eyes.

seungcheol felt his eyes begin to water. the feeling of seeing such a structure in front of him made him feel nostalgic, as if he had seen this all before.

jeonghan noticed this and looked to where seungcheol was looking out of curiosity. his eyes widened and his whole body went numb in a second. he looked at his hand, seeing the thorns from a while ago poke further out. he quickly pulled out his pin of the kingdom's crest and pointed out the needle.

he held up on of his fingers as his eyes froze. he brought up his needle and directed it to his finger. his pupils shook as the little thing moved, the crimson liquid spilling from the tip of the wound. he let out a pained sound, catching the attention of the others.

"han, what's wrong?" jisoo asked. jeonghan pulled out the needle and hurried his way towards the pool of water. he dunked his hand into the water, his eyes filling with tears from the pain. it was as if salt was being dropped into the wound, someone rubbing it in.

jeonghan began to see something come from the water, something that gleamed against the light of the surrounding lamps. his hand grabbed onto it, feeling the wound open even more with his grip. he pulled the thing out of the water and everyone was able to see it.

it was an old lantern, its handle was rusty and creaking. it was a peculiar object, because it came from the water but it was fully lit.

"i'm giving you all very specific instructions. if you hear music, don't follow it. if you see something that isn't yours, don't take it. however, if something leaves a gift for you, don't say thank you or sorry. only politely decline with no apologies," jeonghan said as he held up the lamp and raised seungcheol's collar. his tone was firm and commanding. everyone except for jisoo became frightened by him as they stood their ground.

"we won't call each other by our real names. it'll be his highness, han-hyung, shua-hyung, hoonie-hyung, and woowoo-hyung. you got that minmin?" jeonghan said as he looked to seokmin. seokmin nodded nervously as he held onto jihoon's arm. jihoon felt himself mentally pass away by the mention of a cute nickname.

"hey, why can't minmin call me hyung?" seungcheol asked, his voice a little whiny. jeonghan glared at him and he quickly got the message that he's royalty.

"no talking with each other unless it's in whispers and finally," jeonghan looked ahead of him to the dirt path that could be seen as it stretched to an unknown horizon. "only follow my lead, nobody else's."

even as their clothes dripped with freezing water, jeonghan started walking, seokmin following right behind him as he pulled jihoon along with him. wonwoo had no other choice so he began walking as well, right beside seokmin. jisoo and seungcheol stayed next to each other as they followed the ones in front of them.

the dirt path was lined by two large meadows, the plants were overgrowing onto the border between the path and the meadow. every step they took felt quiet but it was pounding a noisy beat into their minds. they felt cold as the wind made their clothes touch their bare skin, shivers went through their whole bodies.

seungcheol kept looking back, checking to see if he could still see the bright statue of the beautiful woman. jisoo always made him look forward, mentioning that they can't go back there unless jeonghan says so. to this, the prince pouted but obeyed nonetheless.

jihoon sighed as he felt his legs drag against the ground, he felt so tired from everything. all he wanted to do was get his little brother back and take him home to eat some instant ramen. his arms were jelly and his legs were poles chained to the ground. he could've been in his studio, singing his frustrations away.

then, as if it were magic, he heard a sweet melody in the distance. the instruments blended beautifully with each other while still holding their own identities. jihoon felt his eyes widen and his ears lean towards the enchanting music.

his body began to move on its own, stepping towards the ethereal sound. his heartbeat loudly against his chest as excitement filled him. his legs wobbled to the direction, almost going into the tall meadow. music was his home and to even experience a little, it would make his whole night.

just as he was about to fall into the tall grass, someone's arms wrapped themselves around his tiny waist.

"han said to only follow his lead and he gets angry when people don't listen," a soft voice spoke. it was a small whisper but it was enough to make jihoon felt as if he was just punched in the guts. he returned to his usual self and pushed himself off of the person.

he turned around and it turned out to be the prince. jihoon quickly bowed and apologized. seungcheol said he didn't mind, they were still strangers to each other after all. they continued to walk, still following jeonghan's steps and his bright lamp.

for the next few minutes, silence filled the air and crickets could be heard all around them. the moon above them shone brightly as it was accompanied by the twinkling stars. wonwoo kept looking up and noticing how he could find zero constellations. he wanted to take a picture but when he took his phone out of his pocket, it wouldn't turn on. he sighed at this, remembering that they fell into the water.

seokmin noticed wonwoo being upset over his phone. he remembered that wonwoo loved playing games, as long as he could see the characters and make decisions for himself. he knew his phone had so many that some games would lag from lack of space. seokmin put his arm over wonwoo's shoulders, telling his hyung that he'll let him play at his house once they get back.

"thanks minmin, i'd like that," wonwoo whispered as he gave seokmin a warm smile. seokmin felt himself short-circuit once more as he felt himself achieve the almost impossible.

jeonghan looked around, noticing a few structures appear in the near distance. he smiled and felt himself become faster by the second. everyone else saw this sight as well and began to walk even faster, feeling their legs about to collapse from excitement.

until they heard a loud ringing noise come from their side.

they all froze at the loud but slow pounding against the ground. taking a step forward felt terrifying but staying put made them feel nauseous. they all looked to their left and saw something they couldn't believe.

by their right stood a monster. it stood with its back leaning forward, its slender fingers held onto the mountains on the far off distance. its eyes glowed an enchanting golden color, its heart had the same color as it beat against itself. it wouldn't be that terrifying, what would they really do with a giant they could converse with? well, this monster stood with its head reaching the clouds and its body only consisted of breaking bones.

it was a giant skeleton with glowing eyes and a glowing heart.

"shit, we're in trouble," jeonghan whispered to himself as he looked to the lantern in his hands. its light was withering away, not much to go with anymore. jeonghan was faced with a critical decision and he felt his throat almost throw up with the thought.

he looked back to the skeletal monster and saw that it had noticed their presence. there was a little pause as they all let out their held in breaths. the monster tilted its head to the side, analyzing the six of them. then, it directed its gaze towards seungcheol. it felt an unfamiliar aura coming from him but it could pinpoint what it exactly was.

_"c-cu-_ _rse_ _y-you-r_ _anc_ _-_ _cestors_ _."_

the monster began to run towards them as soon as it uttered that phrase. jeonghan's eyes widened as he finally smashed the lantern onto the ground of the path. as soon as the flame went out and the lantern broke, vines adorned with thorns came out from the ground and wrapped themselves around the monster's legs.

"everyone, run! follow the path!" jeonghan shouted as he stood his ground. seokmin and wonwoo didn't think twice about it as they grabbed jihoon by his arms and began sprinting to the light at the end of the wide path. jeonghan was left behind as seungcheol and jisoo started running as well.

seungcheol looked back as he ran, seeing jeonghan not move from his position. he felt the fear come from his friend as the monster was being swallowed into the ground by the vines. the monster kept fighting back, pulling and breaking each thing that trapped him. the prince could feel his heart race in his chest with every step he took as he moved away from his struggling friend.

he huffed out a breath and turned around to run back to jeonghan. jisoo's eyes widened and he almost choked on his own spit at the sight. seungcheol ran back to jeonghan, trying to pull him to run away from the situation.

"cheol, what the fuck are you doing?! i'm not letting you die!" jeonghan shouted as he felt the frustrated tugs come from the prince. seungcheol kept tugging jeonghan's arm as jisoo went back to get him.

seungcheol could feel his legs become jelly and his arms let out pathetic pulls. this was the prince, he wasn't made to fight against anyone, he was made to lead. despite all that, seungcheol felt his spirit and mind work harder than they ever have. he felt tears begin to pierce his eyes as his arms hold onto jeonghan.

jisoo wrapped his arms around seungcheol's waist, pulling him away from jeonghan and the situation. seungcheol kept fighting back, the same way the monster did to the vines that pulled it to the ground. seungcheol once again grabbed jeonghan's arm and dug his fingers into the fabric of his suit.

jeonghan felt himself suddenly being pulled away from the ground then falling onto seungcheol and jisoo. as soon as they got up, the monster was released from its restraints. the three began to run for their lives as the monster moved closer with each step it took.

bright lights began to appear and tall structures towered over them. there was a wall with an opening which was the end of the wide dirt path. they all ran to it, seeing the other three by the entrance. once their visions began to clear, they could make up one little detail about the lights and structures.

it was a city.

their breaths began to run out as they kept running. beads of sweat became waterfalls and consecutive breaths became little huffs. their legs started to give up as their arms kept swinging back and forth to the banging steps of the monster right behind them.

with one final step, the three tumbled into the city. they were about to stop and catch their breaths but the monster wasn't stopping until it got a hold of the prince. the six of them were tired and they couldn't run any longer. the monster kept coming closer as the six pushed themselves up and dragged their feet away from the horrific thing.

people around them began to notice the thing running toward their city and started to panic. some started running in circles and others went running to warn everyone else. the six felt their lungs give out as their breaths were dying out and their eyes began to blur their surroundings.

the monster was about to take them all away until something sliced its hand. it let out a pained scream into the sky as its bony hand disintegrated. jihoon kept his eyes open, trying to pull up seokmin and wonwoo from the ground. jisoo put seungcheol over his shoulder as he tried to shake jeonghan awake.

jihoon looked to the monster and heard its painful roars. its whole body began to disappear while something as fast as lightning cut through it. jihoon couldn't make up a clear image but he could tell that there was a blade and a boy controlling it.

this boy used the blade gracefully, his body twisting and his feet running up against the giant skeleton. all his movements were like a dance in the air as his blade sliced through even more of the monster. to know that this boy could cut through life was scary. it was beautiful but it was a terrifying scene to see right in front of your own eyes.

the boy dodged every movement from the monster as he kept cutting the monster's bones. he ran to the very end of the monster's spine and smiled before beginning to run. the momentum was increasing with every step he took. before he reached the heart of the monster, he took a large jump into the air.

he spun around and his blade shone against the moon as he pointed it towards his target. he began to fall but his form and posture were unbelievably still. finally, in the blink of an eye, the boy's blade met the monster's heart and the skeleton let out the most deafening scream it ever gave out.

the people began to clap and cheer for the boy as he bowed to the disintegrating monster. the glowing eyes of the giant skeleton let out a strained tear as the rest of it begin to disappear into the sky.

"i'm sorry for releasing you this way, i'll include your cries in my prayers tonight," the boy said as he wiped the tear away from the skull. as the boy turned around, jihoon finally got a clear image of the boy. he was surprised by his appearance because he didn't expect that kind of person to take down such a thing.

the boy stood tall with a sad aura surround him. he wore rubber shoes painted in black with white designs. his legs were inside a pair of dark jogger pants with orange stripes along the sides. he wore an orange shirt with no designs and his torso was almost hidden by the black jacket on his shoulders. his hands were covered by fingerless gloves and his fingers held onto his sword gently. there was only one peculiar thing about him that clashed the rest of him.

half of his face was covered by a geometric tiger mask.

**°* ❀**


	6. unbelievable events

**°* ❀**

**_unbelievable events_ **

"are any of you hurt?" the masked boy rushed to their side as he put down his sword beside him. he must've lost his sheath somewhere.

jihoon looked up to him as the masked boy checked seokmin for any injuries. he turned him around and saw his left hand covered in slightly bleeding wounds. jihoon took out his damp handkerchief and wrapped it around his brother's hand. jihoon didn't bother to check himself as blood oozed from the flesh of his cheeks.

the masked boy then checked on wonwoo, the only injuries he had were a few open cuts on his knees while the fabric of his pants was torn. the road of the city was rocky, it explained the cuts on all of them.

the boy looked over to jisoo and saw that seungcheol and jeonghan were already awake but their arms were covered in open cuts. the masked boy's thoughts weren't easing with the scene around him and the panic that the citizens were in. a monster almost made it into their city and there were injured people from it, the people were already panicking. 

he looked around him and saw a man with a cart filled with only empty jars. he went to him and asked if he could borrow it along with a few ropes. the man looked at him, confused at what he meant, but gave it to him when he saw the situation behind the boy. he ran to the inside of his house and came back outside with a couple of ropes.

the boy wrapped the ropes around him and tied it around the handle of the cart, tightening the knots. jihoon looked at him, dumbfounded at the absolute stupidity he was seeing.

"is he gonna turn into a horse or something?" jihoon muttered to himself as he tried to carry both seokmin and wonwoo in his arms. the masked boy looked back to him and motioned for them to get in as he picked up his blade and put it in the cart.

"can we trust him?" jeonghan looked to jisoo and seungcheol with a worried expression painted on his face. jisoo shrugged his shoulders at him. seungcheol looked to seokmin and wonwoo, noticing the wounds they had, then he looked to jeonghan and saw his hand hold onto his bleeding arm.

seungcheol took wonwoo from jihoon's arms and dragged him towards the cart. once he got wonwoo in the cart, he helped jihoon carry seokmin as put him next to wonwoo. jihoon got in even with his doubts to keep seokmin and wonwoo from falling. all while seungcheol went back to help jeonghan and jisoo. his legs were shaking from all the running but he could care less. treating their injuries were more important than his stamina.

"we need to get your wounds treated," seungcheol huffed out as he grabbed the wrists of his two friends. jeonghan and jisoo noticed him let out tired pants and his arms begin to bleed onto their wrists. so instead of seungcheol helping them on, they had to lift him up then put themselves in.

the masked boy sighed in relief once everyone was inside. he looked forward as he adjusted his mask then he let out a little shout. with that, he turned into a completely different being as light shone from him.

his fingers, and toes merged with each other, only to become curved hooves. his face became elongated, a snout-like structure replacing his features. his hair became longer and longer until it rested on the side of his neck. his body became much larger than it was, he could probably carry a human on his back. all while his chest puffed out, presenting himself in such a majestic state.

"how the fuck did he turn into a horse?" jihoon asked himself.

the masked boy–turned horse–looked back to check on everyone then began running. his legs threaded the ground quickly as peculiar vehicles and startled people made way for him. the speed he took was enough to put award-winning racers to shame.

he took multiple turns, almost bumping the cart against tall buildings. jihoon had to hold onto the side of the cart as his other arm kept seokmin from falling. seungcheol kept wonwoo's balance steady as the speed picked up. jeonghan and jisoo sat there, holding onto the wood as their posture prevented them from falling.

it felt like an hour for jihoon and seungcheol as their chests created chaos within their fear. wonwoo's knees kept oozing with blood that seungcheol had to tear fragments of his suit to keep them from bleeding. jeonghan looked concerned for seungcheol as his own arm was bleeding just as much but the adrenaline in him kept his eyes open.

they kept going until most towering buildings were nothing more than quaint houses that lined the sides of the busy streets.

then, they stopped right in front of a large golden gate. right beside the gate were two guards, holding their positions. they checked behind the horse and saw the six others, all with some form of injury. they kept their stance, showing no interest in letting them inside the property. the boy huffed out and returned to his human form. his clothes were a mess and his mask went lopsided but the two men were able to recognize him. their eyes went wide when they realized who was in front of them.

"call mingyu and jun! do not disturb anyone else!" the masked boy ordered as he adjusted his clothes and mask. the guards quickly opened the heavy gates and one of them ran inside the property.

on the other hand, the boy turned back into a horse and rushed inside. it wasn't long before seungcheol's vision was filled with overgrown flowers covered by lamps that decorated the sides of the property. in front of them was a castle that stretched across their field of vision. surrounding the estate were overgrowing plants that shone like gems against the light of the lamps and of the moon. the pillars of the entrance were covered in golden colored ivy and the walls were embraced by green vines. it was nothing like the castle where seungcheol lived in. this one was much larger and adorned with life like no other.

the boy stopped right in front of the castle stairs and returned to his original body. he removed the ropes from his torso as jisoo hopped out of the cart to help the others get out. he helped jihoon get out first and lifted up seokmin to put on his back. jeonghan and seungcheol carried wonwoo on their shoulders as they got off. the masked boy reached for the sword he left inside the cart and checked if everyone got out.

"this way, i have friends who know how to treat injuries," the boy said as he waited for the others by the bottom of the stairs. they all started climbing up the wide steps of the stairs as the masked boy kept helping them whenever they felt lightheaded.

soon enough, they were by these tall doors, ready to be opened. the boy opened them with a small push and led the six inside. they were met by warm light coming from each direction and a golden detail in every corner they looked to. there were grand stairs leading up to another floor. flawlessly carved pillars held the ceiling as if it were the sky. the floor was clean, with no imperfection in sight. however, they couldn't enjoy it as much because they were in very sharp pain.

"soonyoung! why'd you– what in the world happened to them?"

a voice caught their attention, causing them to look towards whoever it was. they saw three people, two of whom were unfamiliar and new. it was the guard accompanied by two towering figures. one had sun-kissed skin, his complexion almost similar to the smoothest honey. the other was almost as tall, his eyes were a bit drowsy as if he was a child born of the night sky.

"no time, get them in the clinic now!" the masked boy shouted as he pointed towards a specific direction, leading to a hallway. the two boys led the six of them through the hallway while the guard and the masked boy stayed behind to discuss something along the lines of a 'gashadokuro'.

the six along with the other two went down this hall of doors until they stopped by one. the boy who had the honey complexion opened it and guided the others inside. in the room were multiple beds next to each other, only separated by fabrics in between each space. the boy motioned for them to take their seats on any beds.

the taller boy went to a cabinet in the corner of the room and began pulling out supplies. the other one helped put seokmin and wonwoo on the beds. the two of them woke up as soon as they were touching the soft mattresses, wonwoo's eyes opening slowly while seokmin's eyes shot open and he sat up straight on the bed.

"we were g-getting chased by a big skel-leton, there was a r-ringing noise in my ear! jihoon-hyung, w-where are we?" seokmin blurted out as his words slowed down.

"huh, you were being attacked by a gashadokuro. one must've escaped soonyoung," the boy with drowsy eyes said as he helped the other take out the supplies from the cabinet.

"excuse me, what?" seokmin asked as he realized where he was.

"you know, i've never met anyone who doesn't know what those things are. they're practically part of our history!" the boy said as he opened the bottle of the disinfectant.

"jun-hyung, don't blame them if they don't know what it is. those creatures are rare nowadays, it must've been one from a century ago." the taller boy pulled out a few fluffs of cotton and drenched one side of it in the solution that the other boy was holding. he went over to jihoon and held his cheek.

jihoon felt water creep onto his wound and it stung so badly. the liquid seemed to come from nowhere but after a few seconds, the blood was off of his face. this was when the boy wiped the cotton across the cut and the solution made jihoon sit in a pool of pain.

"hyung, those three have the most blood loss. do your best treating them," the boy said in a cheering voice as he tried to stop jihoon from squirming too much.

the other gave a thumbs up and a toothy grin as he went over to seungcheol, jeonghan, and jisoo. he put his hands together and closed his eyes with a smile. his friend noticed him doing this and his own eyes widened at what he was about to do.

the boy opened his eyes and they were all surprised to see his left eye resemble a clock. there were tiny numbers within the golden color of the time bearer. the hands of his clock were ticking in his eye and he just stood there, as if waiting for something to happen.

he rested his hand near where seungcheol's cuts were located and closed his right eye. then, the cut began to reverse itself. the layers upon layers that were burst open were returning to what they originally were. seungcheol couldn't believe it as he felt pain then relief in such a short amount of time. when the cut was gone, the boy opened his eye and moved on to jeonghan and jisoo.

this all happened while the other boy was dealing with the minor wounds wonwoo and seokmin had. seokmin said his 'thank you' while wonwoo stared in awe at what was happening around him. the boy cleaned his cut by only holding onto his knee and wonwoo could see water coming from the palms of the boy.

"if it's not rude to ask, can i ask how you're doing that?" wonwoo asked, keeping his eyes on the boy's hands.

the boy looked up, confusion everywhere on his face. wonwoo felt like he just asked something very wrong. the boy covered wonwoo's cut with his hands and pressed onto the cut. wonwoo felt the pain surge through him then disappear. the boy removed his hands from his knee to reveal that the cut was nowhere to be seen. the boy then looked up to him, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"i'll prepare a bath and some clothes for all of you. please excuse me," the boy said as he bowed and left the room in a hasty pace. the boy with the drowsy eyes blinked and the clock in his eyes disappeared as he looked at the door, saddened by his friend's actions. he looked to wonwoo and saw the shock in his eyes.

"i'm really sorry for his actions. mingyu tends to avoid talks about the water thing. he's normally louder than me whenever there are people around," the boy said as he closed the little kit that his friend used for jihoon and seokmin. wonwoo sat there, motionless, unable to comprehend what had just happened to him and his knee.

there was silence in the air as he placed back the kit that he used. the creaking of the rusty hinges went through their ears. seungcheol was rubbing wonwoo's back as he reassured him that he did nothing wrong while jeonghan and jisoo were ready to fight a man. jihoon sighed, thinking about how the boy made him sit through the stinging sensation while wonwoo received instant healing. then, in the middle of the silent thoughts and whispers, they heard seokmin's little yawn. the boy turned around and smiled innocently as he raised a finger.

"oh, you all must be tired! i'll bring in some dinner for you and you all can sleep here for the night."

**_**

after taking their baths and changing into clothes that 'mingyu' prepared for them, the boy brought in some dinner. they learned the two boys' names while they were being cared for by the boy. the boy with them was named 'moon junhui' and he had this special position as an assistant detective or something.

"call mingyu if you need anything else! he sleeps two rooms to the right. don't go into any other rooms besides that one, the others are either experimentation labs or storage rooms. this hallway is only used for health and power experiments so be careful!" junhui said as he replaced their bedsheets with cleaner ones.

"thank you so much for taking care of us," seungcheol said as he shook junhui's hand with both of his. junhui was surprised but giggled nonetheless.

"it's my pleasure! i'll be heading on home now, i'll see you all in the morning," junhui said as he let go of seungcheol's grip. he waved to them as he closed the door behind him.

jihoon tucked in seokmin, still worrying about his other brother. he wondered where that little troublemaker went as his eyes slowly closed and he found himself lying in his own thoughts. seokmin was fast asleep within seconds, still really tired from all the running and the fact that he actually got a really good dinner tonight.

wonwoo still tried to open his phone, almost seeing no hope at all. he was in a downward spiral from there. he realized he couldn't play any games or even respond to his mother's texts. he'll be in trouble by tomorrow if he doesn't at least give her a good night message. he once learned that the hard way.

jisoo only sat on his bed, trying to stay awake to keep seungcheol and jeonghan from doing anything stupid. even if he'll never understand seungcheol's bravery, he still admired it. it was his duty to protect the prince but it was his own personal choice to do it so diligently.

jeonghan felt asleep immediately, not giving a care in the world. at least he had a really comfy bed to sleep in, that's all that mattered.

seungcheol lied awake on his bed, unable to sleep with the thought of his mother and grandfather waiting for him to come home. he wondered if there even was a way to get home. with the way they came in, maybe going home was worse than thorns scratching at his neck.

seungcheol felt a little rush come over him after the events of tonight. he met new people and got out of his castle for once without being escorted by buff bodyguards. this was a whole different world where giant skeletons could roam and people could heal wounds with their eyes and hands in a second. it was like a dream seungcheol didn't want to wake up from. yet, at the back of his mind, he thought of how nice it would be if his grandfather saw a place like this. his mind would probably combust from all the fairytale-like things they just saw. his grandfather loved fairy tales and always wanted to live in one.

seungcheol lied awake with the fear of the path home but fell asleep with the excitement of new unbelievable things.

**°* ❀**


	7. wounds reverse

**°* ❀**

_**wounds reverse** _

the rays of the yellow sun shone through the fabric of the white curtains. the specs of morning dust were held still by the light. the air was woven with the smell of comfort as the six boys slept soundly on their beds. the sun greeted their faces yet, none of them awoke. while some of them snored with all their might, the others slept with the most beautiful expressions the eye could see.

one person, in particular, woke up a little earlier than the others. his eyes slowly opened when he noticed his blanket was on the ground. jihoon groaned, ruffling his hair in frustration. he looked around the room as he sat up like a baby panda. his eyes squinted and his lips pouted as he grabbed the blanket off the ground.

"why the hell am i the first one to wake up?" jihoon asked himself.

he put the blanket over his legs while his fingers reached up to his cheek, where the gauze bandage was on. he sighed, remembering that nothing was a dream.

"how am i gonna explain this to my manager?" jihoon groaned again and plopped onto the bed. he looked to the right and saw that the separating curtains were pushed to the side, revealing the others who were asleep. he saw his little brother and smiled. at least he was safe and alive, he even got a good dinner last night thanks to junhui.

just then, the door creaked open and jihoon's attention was taken from his brother. the wooden door opened to reveal the masked boy from last night. he was wearing different clothes but the same mask. he wore a black sleeveless sweater over a white collared shirt. his pants were slim black jeans and his shoes were white accompanied by black lines. all while his black hair was parted to the side.

"apologies for the intrusion," the boy quietly said with a smile as he closed the door behind him.

when he saw jihoon awake, he took a little bow and walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room. jihoon just watched him, still sleepy. jihoon's stare just glued itself onto the boy, not noticing how creepy he was being. he saw how this masked boy kept himself absolutely silent, you couldn't even hear his breath. if jihoon wasn't looking at him, he would've thought nobody was in the room. he thought that a ghost had a more recognizable presence than him.

the boy turned around and locked eyes with jihoon. he tilted his head a bit in curiosity, staring right back at him.

"do you need anything?" the boy asked.

jihoon rubbed his nape in embarrassment, looking away from the boy. the masked boy chuckled and slowly removed his mask. he slowly stood up from his crouching position but jihoon wouldn't even spare him a glance. the boy was confused on why he was so embarrassed. he started thinking on reasons why he wouldn't look at him.

"oh! it must be because i'm a stranger!"

the boy walked over to jihoon, hiding his mask behind his back. he popped into his field of vision, surprising jihoon. jihoon's hand dropped to his lap as he saw this boy's face. he was smiling and jihoon felt himself stiffen in front of him.

"hi, i'm kwon soonyoung," the boy said as he grinned and held out a hand to shake.

the boy's smile was wonderful as if the stars themselves gave him such joy. his cheeks were young roses, with a beautiful light red dusting its surface. his eyes slanted upwards like the hands of a clock. there was an extreme amount of charisma that dripped from the tips of his fingers. jihoon found it alarming to see him like that. he looked so happy to just be standing in front of him. he looked like his life had never been ruined.

jihoon was about to reach out to his hand and introduce himself. that was until someone barged into the room.

"hoshi-hyung! i've been looking for y- oh, am i interrupting something?" another boy came inside, a bit younger than the both of them. his voice woke up the other sleepy heads inside the room.

this boy was shorter than soonyoung and he sounded younger. the boy wore a pink sweater with a simple pair of shorts. his feet were covered by a cute pair of red shoes while his hands were covered by two dirty gardening gloves. the boy was handsome, his eyes were big and cheerful, his cheeks were chubby but painted in a rosy hue, and his lips were beautifully pink.

soonyoung quickly retracted his hand and stood straight. he waved to the boy and smiled. he opened his mouth and said, "seungkwannie! sorry, i was making a new friend!"

"again? are you really gonna introduce more new people to vernonie?" the boy asked, his tone echoing annoyance. he looked to jihoon then to the others who were starting to wake up. they all looked tired and slightly annoyed.

"of course not, i'm just making a new friend. i'll be on my shift in twenty minutes and i came here to get a relief patch for my shoulder," soonyoung said as he pulled out a packet from his pocket. he asked the boy if he could put it on him before he would go and the boy just sighed.

soonyoung sat on a chair next to jihoon's bed and moved the sleeves of his outfit until the top of his shoulder was shown. the other boy removed his gloves and took the patch from soonyoung and opened it. he carefully placed the patch on the area where it hurt and immediately after, soonyoung let out a sound of happiness.

"anyway, why were you looking for me?" soonyoung asked as he put back the sleeve of his shirt.

"i heard a gashadokuro almost came into the city! i was wondering if my aunt should infuse the plants at the gates with more sunlight," the boy said as he put back on his gardening gloves.

"the teams are gonna check the other cities today. captain and i are gonna defend the shrine for any other monsters. the shrine needs to be in good shape for the festival so i don't exactly recommend doing that for now."

"so what? you're just gonna defend the shrine until the week of the festival?" the boy asked as he closed the cabinet that soonyoung opened.

soonyoung scratched his nape while he fixed his clothes. his posture dropped a bit as his leg took on the weight. he looked back to the other boy but noticed jihoon looking right at him from the bed, feeling his whole presence.

soonyoung's eyes lost the few sparkles they had. his cheeks dropped as his smile faltered. the sun started to move away from his face. the joy in him slipped away as he fixed himself then brought up his mask to his face. the mask's golden strings tied themselves through soonyoung's hair and hid as he fixed the mask's position.

and just like that, his whole presence washed away again.

"shift's starting soon. take care of these people for me, would you? they were chased by the gashadokuro yesterday." soonyoung smiled and exited the room.

"that idiot has some annoying mood swings," the boy said as he looked to everyone else in the room. he saw jihoon looking right at him, confused out of his mind. the others were already awake but they seemed to be zoning out. well, except for jeonghan. he was already getting up from his bed and fixing the bedding.

jeonghan yawned but walked over to the boy despite his tired state. he stood tall in front of the boy, his whole aura an intimidating one. yet, he smiled and held out a hand for him to shake.

"name's yoon jeonghan," jeonghan said with a confident smirk. the boy analyzed everything he was wearing, remembering that only mingyu's patients would wear those. he also saw that he had no bandages which meant he had to have something wrong with his brain. the boy looked at him questionably before quietly rejecting the handshake.

"you're creepy," the boy said as he covered his mouth to not seem too rude.

jisoo and wonwoo erupted with laughter while jeonghan froze from the comment. jihoon snickered while seokmin wondered what everyone found so funny since he just woke up. seungcheol giggled as he got up from his own bed and walked over to jeonghan.

"hoshi-hyung told me to take care of you guys so let me introduce myself," the boy slowly removed his gloves again and put his hand to his chest, "my name is boo seungkwan, i'll be nursing you all to health."

seungkwan bowed with overflowing respect and an irresistible smile. jihoon shivered at this boy as he brought himself back up. it was evident that this boy was soaked in charisma but it was very different from soonyoung. his features were soft and warm. he seemed tired of the world but he was happy. if jihoon could sum him up in a sentence, this boy would be the clouds over an orange setting sun.

"i have no idea why hyung didn't just take you to the mental facility a few streets away but i'm not one to judge. you'll all be transferred to a proper ward after i talk to mingyu-hyung about this," seungkwan explained as he went over to jeonghan's bed and fixed the sheets.

"but we have to get home-" "yes, everyone goes home eventually. gashadokuro attacks are rare nowadays and they traumatize a lot of people because of that," seungkwan cut off wonwoo before he was about to explain their situation.

"i'm assuming since four of you don't have any visible wounds, you're here because of something mental." seungkwan tied up the curtains behind the beds as the sun shone even brighter against the glass.

"we had wounds. junhui just did a thing to them," seungcheol blurted out.

seungkwan's eyes widened as he looked back to seungcheol in horror. his hands kept still as the fabric slipped from his fingers. his body froze but his eyes frantically scanned the prince's body. his legs slowly got off the bed and walked to seungcheol with the same fear he had when he heard him. his hands landed of seungcheol's shoulders and turned him left to right. he held his cheeks and moved his head, checking for something.

he looked under his chin. there was nothing at all.

he looked to his legs. there was nothing wrong.

he looked at the back of his neck. there was nothing.

then, he looked to seungcheol's arms and his face lost all its color. the sleeves of his shirt were being stained by a dark red liquid running down his arm. a single drop met the ground and seungkwan immediately ran to get the necessary equipment.

"everyone who was treated by junhui to sit down. you, with the bandaid on your cheek, call mingyu! he's still asleep in the room two rooms way, go right!"

jihoon got up ran out the door at the mention of him. seokmin sat there with shock slapping him in the face. his whole body froze when he saw seungcheol fall back to the wall while his sleeves start to bleed. jeonghan's arms began to do the same and he stumbled a bit as he stood. as seokmin looked to his right, he saw jisoo's eyes lose composure as he bled just the same on the bed next to wonwoo.

seungcheol's vision began to blur as he tried to figure out what was happening around him. his breath was slow and his heart rate was picking up. his eyes were frantic, trying to focus on what was going on.

seungcheol's hands placed themselves on the wall behind him and propped himself up. his balance was a mess and his head was going everywhere. his body was heavy as lead, weighing him down when he needed to help jeonghan and jisoo.

he put his foot abruptly on the ground and shocked himself. his vision came back and his head stopped telling him that he was dizzy. his eyes caught sight of jisoo unable to move on his bed, all he could really do was sit there and stare at his hands.

the sleeves of the boy's shirt were just as stained as seungcheol's but he was paralyzed. that never happened to jisoo before.

seungcheol looked at jeonghan starting to stumble. he immediately put his arm on his waist and held his wrist. jeonghan's eyes widened at the realization that he was in danger. seungcheol put jeonghan down on his bed and tiredly knelt next to him on the ground. his breath was hot and his forehead was sweating. his vision was spinning and his head was pounding. his heart kept picking up on speed but he knew he still had something to do.

"wonwoo, help jeonghan!" seungcheol shouted out.

wonwoo heard his name and immediately got off his bed. he grabbed the blanket from jeonghan's bed and rolled up his hyung's sleeve. he applied enough pressure and told jeonghan to take in deep breaths. soon enough, seungkwan was by seungcheol and putting pressure on his arm.

"you, on the bed, get a move on! there aren't enough people to keep your butt relaxing there!" seungkwan threw a cloth towards seokmin then pointed to jisoo with his lips. seokmin grabbed the cloth and frantically went to jisoo. he did what he could as fast as possible even as his hands were shaking from worry.

seungkwan looked back to seungcheol to focus but he noticed how eradicated the boy's breathing was. seungkwan's orders were somehow making him worried even more with the concern of his best friends being affected. he was scared for his own life at the moment and the fear for his friends' safety was adding to that.

seungkwan quickly noticed this and put a hand on seungcheol's other shoulder as his other hand pressed on the wound. he realized how shocking and fast everything happened.

"mister, follow my breathing. help is coming." seungkwan began to count his breaths and seungcheol did his best to follow. his breathing slowed down with every count seungkwan said and in a few moments, seungcheol was able to get a small grip of the calm he wished for.

then, mingyu and jihoon ran inside the room. mingyu was sweating in his pajamas while he held a bag in his hand. jihoon was panting as he held the door frame and his hand was resting on his knee. seungkwan moved out of the way as mingyu opened his bag and kneeled in front of him. he began to treat him while seungkwan took what he needed from the bag and went over to jisoo. he quickly apologized to seokmin for his behavior and began to wash and treat jisoo's wounds.

jeonghan sat there, motionless as wonwoo put pressure on his wounds. he watched as mingyu kept washing seungcheol's wounds with water that came from the palms of his hands. he knew what he did to wonwoo's knee last night and he needed the same to happen to seungcheol no matter what the cost.

he grabbed mingyu's arms with the little strength he had in him and with a small voice, he said, "make his wounds disappear, please i beg of you." then just like that, he fainted.

mingyu's eyes widened and in a state of shock, the water from his hands burst. this caused seungcheol's cuts to disappear even if they stung badly. it shocked everyone else in the room but what is done was done. mingyu didn't want to use his water that way but he has no idea how to undo it. he moved on to jeonghan and quickly washed and wrapped him up.

he looked at everyone else in the room and saw how the panicked atmosphere was dispersing and disappearing. this was expected since everyone who had those wounds were quickly treated.

"i'll talk to jun-hyung about this. for now, they'll need to have a few minutes to calm down before breakfast. it's still six and hyung doesn't come here for another hour," mingyu explained as he started cleaning up the blood splatters on him. seungkwan nodded as he wiped a cloth on his own clothes.

he looked to jeonghan and felt sorry for the boy, especially when he begged for seungcheol's wounds to disappear. he looked at seungcheol and wondered what made him so special to make someone beg to keep all injuries away from him.

mingyu isn't one to dig deeper into things so he put away the curiosity for respecting privacy.

**°* ❀**


	8. within gardens of guilt and of peace

**°* ❀**

**_within gardens of guil_** _ **t**_ _**and of peace**_

jeonghan's eyes shot open when he found himself floating atop the ground. his whole body felt lightweight as if nothing was holding him down. he was laying down on a cloud, even if he knew full well that it wasn't possible. nothing else mattered as his body was engulfed in a softness unlike any other.

he sat up and looked around as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. it looked dark, maybe around the evening or the beginning of a new day. jeonghan guessed the latter since he had just awoken. the clouds had the most beautiful silver lining, like newly bought jewelry. in front of him laid grass atop a land he knew he wasn't supposed to trespass. there was a tall golden gate a few steps in front of him and the detail adorning it was wonderful.

jeonghan felt his whole body freeze up for a moment. his surroundings felt so familiar and it sent a chill up his spine and left a bad taste in his mouth. his hand filled its nerves with pins and needles as he tried to look for an exit from this place.

he stepped off of the cloud and felt the dirt touch his bare feet. the wind blew through his soft hair and the tender fabric of his clothes. he sighed and began to walk towards the gate, knowing there was nowhere else to go.

he reached the gate and tried to open it. when his hand met the golden surface, a creature landed beside him. it was a towering lady with yellow and white robes, a sword by her side, and a large ginger cat hissing beside her. she wasn't his size and she was almost the size of the gate. it was as if she was the size of a goddess.

jeonghan could hear words come from her mouth but his ears couldn't listen to what it meant. his eyes grew tired as his ears stopped trying to process what she was saying. his eyelids slowly dropped and he felt as if he was at peace. his mind wandered but all they could say was gibberish within the hollow shell of his skull.

yet, his hands felt heavy. as if hundreds upon hundreds of chains were pulling his skin to the ground. his feet felt heavy and his arms were sluggish. the slightest movement would send pins and needles up his spine. but when his eyes opened, all he could see was the sight of glittering dust falling onto the fair skin of his hands. his hands held a shining dagger and it had punctured the woman's chest. it caused the puncture wound to burst with roses that reeked of blood.

the lady's eyes burned a bright yellow and the cat beside her ran to the inside of the gate as it opened and closed in a sudden clash of the hinges. the lady's once dark hair turned yellow out of rage. jeonghan didn't know what to do at that point, his whole body was frozen and his hands refused to remove the blade from her chest.

in a blink of an eye, a sword was under his chin and a shadowed lady loomed over his small body. her hands reached out to touch his cheeks, and he felt at ease even for a second. his eyes closed slowly and all he could feel his whole body calm itself.

**_"may the thorns of your beauty haunt your heart."_ **

jeonghan's eyes opened as his whole body felt sharp points puncture his skin. he was surrounded by nothing but darkness and the stems brimming with thorns. his wrists and ankles were held down by vines while thorns took him apart, wound by wound.

his eyes were close to crying as he felt everything but he didn't seem like he was dying. the thorns around his neck grew tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe anymore. the blood all over his body reeked and it was all he could smell. his body had given up all hope as it rots away in the hold of his guilt.

all he could do was lie there, in shame of what he did and the thorns that were killing him piece by piece.

_"jeonghan! breakfast's here!"_

jeonghan jolted awake as his forehead was covered in beads of sweat. he looked around and found himself still in the clinic. his arms were patched up and there was a small breakfast table over his legs with a plate of steaming food on top.

"you okay? you were sweating." jeonghan looked to his side to see seungcheol with a tray of food resting on his lap. jeonghan calmed down and wiped the sweat off his face. he looked around the room once again and saw that only he, seungcheol, and seungkwan were still in the clinic.

"you should eat, those wounds aren't going to heal themselves. i let the others explore the castle garden so if you wanna join them, you might as well finish your plate," seungkwan explained as he helped jeonghan sit up straight to begin eating.

jeonghan began to eat slowly with no words coming out of his mouth. this worried seungcheol but seungkwan reassured him he'll be fine with the right care that he needs.

it calmed seungcheol but knowing that something was up with jeonghan put an uneasy feeling in him. it was as if he was drowning in a past or a thought he wanted to get rid of. the prince could do nothing more but watch as jeonghan ate silently, deep in the corners of his own mind.

seungcheol continued to eat his food, glancing at jeonghan every now and then to keep him in check. the air was stiff and awkward, no one was even saying a thing. seungkwan was seated, waiting for them to finish their meals while jeonghan kept his head down and his breathing was heavy.

seungcheol was thrown into a pile of guilt for not being able to help his best friend in a time where he was needed.

_

the boys were waiting outside, right by the clinic's door. they waited for seungcheol and jeonghan, ignoring seungkwan's suggestion to rest outside in the garden. when seungkwan opened the door with jeonghan and seungcheol by his side, he blinked in surprise to see the others right by the wall as they waited.

"they must be really close," seungkwan thought as he told them to get up and follow him. as they followed seungkwan, they all wondered where he was taking them but as they kept those thoughts, they soon reached the outside of the intricate place.

their eyes were greeted by rows upon rows of forest-like shrubs filled with flowers. the trees extended to the sky and gave the path a shade to hide in. there were birds and butterflies that seemed to almost dance against the plants. it was like a scene from a fairytale.

there was a gazebo in the middle of it all and in that gazebo, sat lee chan who was stuffing his face with the fluffiest pancakes they had ever seen.

the sun shone upon the path of the garden. the gusts of wind blew through the boys' messy heads of hair. the sky was as clear as the calmest ponds and the clouds were as white as pearls. in between serenity and inner peace, this was almost everything someone could dream of.

except for seungkwan, he had to watch over six older idiots and one younger brat. maybe it was a bad idea to let them outside into the garden.

"chan! is this is where you'VE BEEN-" "jihoon-hyung, please shut up, you're never this loud."

seungkwan had to watch seokmin and jihoon sprint over to chan, who was sitting quietly in the garden's gazebo. he had to watch jihoon almost bite off chan's head with his words and seokmin try to stop him. he could already feel his soul leave his body with how stupid the day was about to get.

then, he felt a small touch on his shoulder. he looked to his side and saw seungcheol standing at his full height. he felt intimidated until the older smiled at him, his dimples popping out.

"apologies for them, chan went missing last night. we came here injured since we were looking for him," seungcheol said as he showed his gummy smile. seungkwan nodded silently, still not comfortable with the energy he felt from them.

"i need to call someone to help me. i'm a little too young to be watching a bunch of people by myself," seungkwan said as he bowed to excuse himself. by force of habit, seungcheol bowed as well and seungkwan was a little surprised to say the least. he gave the prince a few weird looks then went on his merry way to call someone.

seungcheol joined the others in the garden's gazebo. he sat next to jeonghan and admired the intricate designs that adorned the little place.

vines extended from the top onto the ground where the gazebo was placed. the open ceiling had roses hanging from the top. the bars that supported the structure were painted gold with white leaves decorating them. inside it was a round table full of rows upon rows of treats and seats attached to the low wall of the gazebo.

he then looked to the others who were seated in the gazebo. seokmin and jisoo were filled with happiness, knowing they were able to find chan. jihoon was throwing curses everywhere, talking about how he should've been more careful. wonwoo was eating a few of the treats in complete silence to not get caught. it all seemed so funny to seungcheol, especially since it was so early in the morning to hear so much happiness and talking.

but, he still had jeonghan by his side. the other wasn't speaking at all and he seemed so annoyed because of something. seungcheol couldn't point a finger on it and he didn't want to seem nosy.

so all he did was intertwine his fingers with jeonghan's in a comforting manner to tell him he would be alright. this caught jeonghan off-guard and made him look at seungcheol. the younger chuckled since he was surprised over someone he already knew.

"sorry for a while ago, i had a bad dream." jeonghan stumbled on his words but seungcheol reassured him with his signature gummy smile.

"you got me worried there! i really thought you were angry at me," seungcheol whined as he pouted cutely. jeonghan hit the prince's shoulder in a playful manner as he told him to stop pouting like that. jisoo noticed the two and grinned at the sight. he picked up a tiny napkin and threw it at them playfully.

"pack it up, lovebirds!" he shouted with a grin.

"shua, what the fuCK-" "language! there are children here!" jisoo shouted back as he covered seokmin's ears from jeonghan's words. chan laughed at this, remembering he was the youngest out of all of them.

this started a small shouting fit from the devil twins as seokmin's head was stuck in between jisoo's hands. jihoon tried to get seokmin out of jisoo's grip while chan kept hitting the table as he laughed. all while wonwoo started thinking in between stopping the fight or continue eating the snacks. seungcheol smiled as he realized how quickly the mood changed, from jeonghan's silence into the erupting laughter at the table.

it was a questionable thing, to change his mood in just a matter of seconds. maybe it was the fairytale logic going through their bodies because they were in a new place where actual magic existed. yet, it felt like jeonghan and jisoo were keeping something important from their dear prince.

"oh yeah, chan! how'd you even get here?" seokmin asked as the devil twins finally sat back down and huffed at each other. jihoon started drinking water from a cup that had been left behind as he awaited chan's answer.

"it was crazy! i fell down the fountain and in a matter of seconds, i was drowning!" chan exclaimed, making big hand movements. jihoon choked on his drink and spat out some of it. some of it landed on wonwoo, causing his face to be covered in spit and juice.

chan's face became red and soon enough, he burst into loud laughter. seokmin immediately grabbed a napkin for him while jihoon was staring at chan with a dumbfounded expression. jisoo and seungcheol were frozen in their spots as jeonghan did his best to hold in his laughter.

"you know what, i'm more interested in how he came here rather than my face being spat on," wonwoo said as he wiped away the liquids from his face. chan collected himself with a smile and continued his little story.

"okay, okay! so i swam out of there like it was a normal swimming pool and i just see this dude with a tiger mask staring right at me!" chan said as his face lit up at the thought. his words caught everyone's full attention, especially jihoon. jihoon seemed to be the only one out of all of them to know the tiger man's name and he wanted to know more.

"he helped me out of there and he suddenly pulls me to get on his back then he turned into this horse! like a literal horse while i was clinging on his back!" chan exclaimed with wonder. jihoon remembered how soonyoung turned into a horse when he least expected it last night and it flooded his mind with sights of blood.

"so, after he turned into a horse, he brought me to this castle and led me to this throne room and introduced me to the prince of this kingdom! i'm acquaintances with him and he's somewhere in this garden," chan said as he grabbed a cupcake from the plate in front of him.

seungcheol's eyes furrowed in curiosity. his eyes looked around, not seeing anyone else besides them within the garden. jeonghan noticed this and sighed out a breath.

"why wouldn't he stay with you? some prince he is," jeonghan blurted out, taking away seungcheol's worry of asking. on the other hand, seungcheol was almost thinking of slapping him for asking a question in such an insensitive way.

"well, he told me that he'd be waiting for his dad to come back in this garden. there's even this rule that i can't go fetch him to finish his breakfast unless i'm some sort of royalty or his best friend," chan said in between chewing away his cupcake.

everyone–except for chan and jeonghan–suddenly looked to seungcheol, surprising the eldest.

"chan, maybe his highness can bring him over. it'd be nice to thank him for his hospitality towards you!" seokmin said in a cheery tone.

jeonghan smirked and pushed seungcheol to get away from him. seungcheol let out a little whine as his body was moved a bit to the entrance of the gazebo. jeonghan grinned then said, "well cheol, you gotta at least do us a favor and let us see the owner of this incredible home."

seungcheol scowled but got up anyway. he brushed off the dirt from the pajamas he was given and went off to look for this prince chan spoke of. he even stumbled a bit, still not fully recovered from the sudden bleeding fiasco from a while ago.

"who wants to bet he'll probably come back whining that he couldn't do it–" "jeonghan, we already bet on wonwoo, we can't jump into another gamble."

"yOU GUYS BET ON ME?" wonwoo shouted as he slammed his hands on the table. everyone went silent until jeonghan grinned and grabbed a lollipop from the tray on the table.

"i won by the way," he chuckled as he popped the lollipop into his mouth.

"what tHE FUCK–"

_

seungcheol could hear the shouting from the gazebo but chose to ignore it. the garden was large enough to cancel out any noise that came from them.

his feet made it through the overgrowing grass of the garden. his toes could feel the blades of the ground through the openings of his slippers. his hair blew in all sorts of directions with the morning breeze while his eyes squinted from the air. all he could do was follow the path within the garden to find the prince of this world.

seungheol sighed as his hands ran through the leaves of the bushes. tiny thorns moved along with the swaying of their flowers as he pressed his fingers against the petals.

it was calming, to be there, but it was nerve-wracking to think he had to talk with another prince.

he continued to walk until his body bumped into some sort of wall. his eyes looked forward and noticed that there was almost nothing blocking it. it was some sort of see through material that let him see a boy sitting on the grass of the other side.

he sat in front of a blooming cherry blossom tree that sat atop a stone platform. the boy looked lonely, circling his fingers through the grass as if it was his only form of entertainment.

seungcheol felt bad for him as his hand touched the invisible barrier. something suddenly felt odd and his neck started itching. his other hand reached up to scratch it but as he touched the surface of his neck, his body fell onto the ground.

the boy who was sitting suddenly jolted and stood. his eyes wandered and saw seungcheol lying face-first on the grass. he positioned his body, ready to fight him.

"wh-who are you?! you're not supposed to be here! are you some sort of assassin?!" the boy seemed frantic, his nerves not wanting to calm down.

seungcheol looked up and noticed the boy suddenly standing, assuming a defensive stance. this worried him, knowing that it wasn't his goal to make him be like that.

"um, uh, y-you misunderstood! i'm friends with chan–" "chan said that he was supposed to be with his brothers! you look nothing alike!" the boy shouted in panic. seungcheol stood up and put his hands up, trying to signify that he wasn't a threat.

however, the boy thought the opposite.

his feet spread a bit and his hands did a lifting motion as his brown eyes focused on seungcheol's position. in a matter of seconds, roots sprouted and held seungcheol's body in the air. with another hand motion, a root sprouted to hold seungcheol's torso.

"w-wait! you're really misunderstanding the situation here!" seungcheol cried out as he felt the roots tighten around his torso. the boy didn't seem to listen as he only kept tightening the roots until seungcheol was almost unable to breathe. seungcheol, in a state of panic, oddly had his neck itch again. it was different from a while ago, it was a burning sensation and it felt like ripping him apart.

seungcheol's hand reached to scratch it but once he held the skin, the roots that the boy controlled started to wither away. this shocked both of them, both of them unable to process what happened.

the boy quickly changed his stance, stepping his right foot backward then creating a circular motion with his one hand as the other did a sudden forward one. this caused a swirl of roots to sprout out of the ground and aim towards seungcheol. before seungcheol could react, he could feel his whole world flash before his eyes and he could feel the wind of death almost touch him.

it never hit him though.

instead, the roots came to a halt right before it hit his chest. the boy seemed to be frozen in his place and seungcheol could see a certain shine behind the defensive kid. the tree was glowing and in front of it, stood a man who seemed to be some sort of royalty. his robes looked so ethereal and his face seemed familiar to seungcheol. the man saw what was happening and his lips broke into a gummy smile similar to seungcheol's own.

"what a peculiar scene we have here."

**°* ❀**


	9. Chapter 9

**°* ❀**

**_outlanders_ **

the air was silent, not even a single bird could chirp. seungcheol and the boy both stood still as the man stepped away from the tree and made his way to them. his gummy smile wouldn't fall as he looked at the boys, one frozen in his spot and one frozen while he was about to be stabbed by a bunch of roots.

"hansol, i thought we agreed on not disturbing the plants here. the goddesses might get angry," the man said as he made the roots return with a flick of his wrist. seungcheol took in a breath and fell to the ground, his knees weak from the adrenaline rush he just felt.

"he's not from here and he somehow got in, did you expect me not to defend myself?" the boy, now known as hansol, asked as he gestured to seungcheol.

the man looked at seungcheol, who was panting and trying to regain control over himself. his brows furrowed as he looked back to hansol then to seungcheol. he looked a bit closer at the prince and noticed a small rash forming on his neck. then, he walked back to hansol and put a hand on his shoulder.

the man was about to hold out his hand for the panting boy but, as if the wind went through his body, another boy landed himself within their area of the garden. the wind howled as the new body made contact with the disturbed ground.

the man and hansol looked into the direction where the wind came from while seungcheol's vision couldn't comprehend what was in front of them. they were greeted by a thin figure, the length of still bamboo couldn't compare. the boy's legs were slender as slivers of the rarest metals and his hands were careful, meticulous even when they moved up to his face.

the slender boy's hand found its way to his eye. he covered it as it ached under his fingers. he looked at seungcheol, then at the man next to hansol. he suddenly removed his hand from his eye and bowed in front of them.

"your majesty, i'm sorry for the intrusion, seungkwan told me one of the boys he was watching over wandered here. i'll take him off your hands now," the boy said as he made his way to seungcheol.

"ah minghao, may i know whose guests they are? i don't remember inviting anyone and hansol was defensive," the man asked.

the boy, minghao, looked towards the man as he lifted seungcheol off the ground. seungcheol held onto him for support as he finally caught his breath.

"i assume they're the guests of the knight, hoshi. they know lee chan, the boy who fell from the sky and into the shrine's waters." minghao held onto seungcheol's waist, holding him tight as his body kept dropping. the man and hansol froze up at his words. their ears may have not been working correctly when minghao mentioned the fountain. hansol looked back to the tree he was watching and questioned how they were still alive.

"you-" the man said as he pointed towards seungcheol, catching the prince's attention, "you're not from this world, are you?"

seungcheol finally got his feet firm on the ground and once the question processed within his mind. he stood straight and was ready to explain that they meant no harm.

"yes, we aren't from this world. we were away from a ball that my mother was hosting and found a fountain in an area then next thing you know, we're here. none of us want any fights, we're only here by accident and thattigermaskguywasniceenoughto-" "you're blabbering."

seungcheol looked next to him, facing the boy who interrupted his explanation. minghao's expression was unmoving, his emotions hidden from them.

the man rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to keep a headache from coming to him. on the other hand, hansol's whole demeanor flipped over. his eyes widened and sparkled at the mention of another world, one where parties were potent nonetheless.

"were there different types of people?" hansol asked as he faced seungcheol. his small body was jumpy, his hands were fists about to open in excitement, and his eyes glinted with more light than joy could ever contain. however, seungcheol was still cautious with him. he didn't know what caused his attitude to change and he wasn't ready to see another attempted murder happen to him.

"um, yeah. some people aren't that accepting of others but my world has lots of people. skin, talents, opinions, you name it," seungcheol said, retreating a bit to not seem rude but also to not get hurt.

"your highness, i suggest that it would be better to apologize first before asking questions-" "awh come on hyung! don't you wanna know if we'd actually be accepted by people we don't know?" hansol asked, cutting off minghao's suggestion.

minghao looked to the man, who was now sitting in front of the tree, then back to hansol and seungcheol. he dragged both of them to the outside of the area, the barrier gone. he looked at the both of them, crossed his arms and sighed.

"look, sol, you have to stop calling me hyung around your dad. you also have to apologize to this guy right now, you almost killed him for fucks sake," minghao said, his tongue sharp.

"aren't you supposed to not swear in front of children-" "aren't you supposed to not wander off into restricted areas? there was a literal barrier there and you somehow broke it," minghao said, cutting off seungcheol's comment. hansol giggled a bit before minghao could pierce his gaze through him.

"look, i'm sorry if i don't fit your world's standards but i swear in front of him and he has never sworn in his life-" minghao fixed his collar and the rest of his grayish clothes. "now, if you'll excuse me, i'll be speaking with the king on what to do with your bunch."

but before he could walk back to the king in the garden, his eyes looked back to hansol. his stare looked into the other's own eyes, looking for weakness within weakness. his eyes glinted with the color of something dark but his right eye displayed hints of sparkling hues of blue. hansol smiled but seungcheol was confused on what was happening.

"and, hansol, to answer your question, the only approval i will ever need is from the **goddesses** themselves."

then, minghao left, making his way through the broken barrier and into the secluded area. hansol and seungcheol were left dumbfounded, questioning what he meant.

"well, he's definitely scary," seungcheol stated, his lips pursing as he watched the slender figure disappear behind the bushes.

"you should see him with jun-hyung, that's when he's a literal beast," hansol said. then, he looked at seungcheol with a new gummy smile, similar to what the prince also had. seungcheol felt a bit more at ease with the little exchange they had, almost forgetting the earlier events.

"i'm sorry for doing _that_ thing a while ago. there aren't many people who can open the barrier and i've never seen your face before so i got a bit too offensive there," hansol said as he bowed in front of him. when he went back to his normal posture, he noticed how seungcheol's standing changed. his once steady feet on the ground became soft, his torso now leaning on one side of his hip.

"it's better than being dead i guess," seungcheol said. hansol laughed at this, knowing that there's more than just him in terms of power.

"if it was jeonghan or jisoo though, you'd be in biiiig trouble. they're overprotective of me," seungcheol said.

"what're their emnies? they must be really loved by the goddesses if they're so powerful to get me in trouble," hansol asked, his eyes brightening up.

seungcheol's brows furrowed, not knowing what this 'emnies' was. it kinda sounded like a play on word of enemies or something, he wasn't sure.

"enmies? i don't think we have that. well, more like i don't know what they are."

hansol was dumbfounded. as if he was just slapped on the face with such important information. he stood straight and was ready to explain what they were.

"an emny is like i guess a marking that shows which goddess you're under. a lot of people cover them up cuz' people tend to reject whoever have those markings," hansol pauses, looking around to see if anyone else was listening then he whispers to seungcheol, "but just between you and me, i don't really know why they do that since i never listen to my history tutor."

seungcheol chuckled, whispering to hansol that he always did the same as well.

suddenly, minghao returned with the king alongside him. they might've been slightly smaller than seungcheol but their auras towered over his own. their eyes were jewels with the highest value but the coldest surface as they looked into his own. a shiver went down seungcheol's spine.

"the king has made the decision to keep all the outlanders within the castle until he can open the barriers between our worlds," minghao announced to the two, no word falling out of place.

hansol smiled, his whole body exuding a large amount of excitement as his eyes lit up.

"however," minghao paused before looking at hansol and his faltering smile, "they are not to interact with any of the staff and especially the royal family."

_

"i can't believe we're trapped in a bedroom," wonwoo said as he took a book from one of the shelves.

right after minghao told seungcheol what would happen, the guards were called and they were dragged towards a giant bedroom. seungkwan and hansol had to watch as the seven boys were forcefully thrown into a now locked room.

now, they were bored out of their minds.

"why can't we just go around the town? i'm pretty sure soonyoung is around there somewhere," jihoon grumbled as he dropped himself onto one of the beds.

"soonyoung? go around the town? i thought you were a homebody, hyung," seokmin mentioned as he sat next to him. jihoon buried his face in the pillow as his face heated up and blossomed with roses. chan noticed this and smirked with mischief in between his lips.

"oooohhhh hyung's in love. he can't wait to do the kissy kissy with her," chan teased as he made kissing noises and finger hearts at jihoon. jihoon threw a pillow at him and, unfortunately, chan dodged it.

"soonyoung's the tiger mask dude! and i'm not in love with anyone! my management would kill me," jihoon shouted. chan laughed, still telling him that he's in love regardless of who it really is. jihoon continued to fight him with all the pillows he could find.

jeonghan was sitting next to jisoo as he was watching seungcheol by the window. jisoo was sipping the tea given to them and he was giving jeonghan this look. his lips let out a sigh as he looked towards seungcheol. their prince was looking out the window as if waiting for a charming knight in armor.

jisoo sighed, putting down the teacup on the nightstand next to the bed. he pulled in jeonghan, wrapping his arm around the older one's shoulders. jeonghan groaned at this, not really in the mood to be buddy-buddy with jisoo.

"you know, han, we're away from the castle and all of those royal duties. for this moment, he's not our prince anymore, he's supposed to be our friend," jisoo said as he flicked jeonghan's forehead. jeonghan rubbed the area jisoo hit and frowned at him.

"your point? i'm worried about what he's thinking," jeonghan said as he looked back to seungcheol.

jisoo sighed then chuckled as he got up.

"well, since you're his friend, why don't you ask him what's wrong?" jisoo asked, pouring a cup of tea and making his way to wonwoo and his new reading corner.

jeonghan sighed and got up. his steps were silent as his feet made their way to seungcheol. his breath was steady but his heart was bouncing in its cage. when he got to the prince, his hand touched his shoulder and it startled seungcheol.

"hey," jeonghan said, smiling.

seungcheol smiled back as he put his hand over jeonghan's. jeonghan took a nearby chair and sit as he let go of seungcheol's hand. he looked outside to see the garden they were in. the bedroom was high up from the ground and the garden looked so beautiful from the view of the window.

"cheol, you're okay right? you haven't talked to us ever since we got here," jeonghan mentioned. seungcheol was caught off guard but he looked at jeonghan to answer.

"yeah, i'm alright. it's just that i'm wondering how that other prince is doing. i think his name was hansol or something, he's an interesting kid."

seungcheol looked back out the window, his eyes glinting against the sun. jeonghan looked out through the glass as well, wondering what went on seungcheol's mind. it was a mystery and a lonely question he's always had.

he looked back to seungcheol. his skin shone under the light. his eyelashes were long and curled just right for his brown eyes. his lips were colored with the hue of cherries. maybe something moved within jeonghan, he wasn't sure, but he knew that seungcheol was such a beautiful person.

in the midst of jeonghan's appreciation of seungcheol, the prince saw something and his eyes widened.

jeonghan noticed this and they both were looking out the window now. in the center of their vision, they could see giant roots coming from the ground outside the castle borders, supported by ropes of water. on top of the roots were four very different people. hansol was there, holding onto the tip of the roots as he reached to open the window. seungkwan was holding onto hansol's body as it leaned. junhui was waving at them and mingyu was terrified out of his mind as he kept his eyes closed, refusing to look at the ground.

jeonghan quickly opened the window and pulled hansol in, causing seungkwan to follow and fall to the floor. jeonghan reached for junhui and he gladly jumped into his arms. the noise caught everyone else's attention and they all rushed to the window.

all that was left was mingyu and he was refusing to look at anything, keeping his eyes closed. jeonghan was already down from junhui's weight and jisoo was trying to get him back to proper consciousness.

seungcheol was helping hansol and seungkwan get up, but both of them hit something on their body. no one else was left to get mingyu except wonwoo and jihoon since seokmin and chan are out of the question.

wonwoo and jihoon reached their arms out to mingyu, shouting for him to at least hold onto them. he still kept saying no, telling them that unless they were junhui. wonwoo got frustrated at this, noticing how the water surrounding the roots was washing up and disappearing.

then in the middle of the adrenaline and frustration, he shouted, "well, if you don't want to fall then i suggest you hold my hand!"

mingyu grew frustrated, knowing his water was now missing so he reached out his one hand and opened his eyes. his hand made contact with wonwoo's and he was pulled into the room, jihoon providing support as they helped the taller one to come inside.

they were all out a breath and now jeonghan was awake. seungcheol looked back at all of them and pinched the bridge of his nose. he opened his mouth and asked, "what made you think it'd be a good idea to go through the window?!"

hansol smiled and clapped his hands in joy.

"we're gonna help you all escape this boring place!"

**°* ❀**


	10. friends

**°*** **❀**

_**friends** _

marketplaces are barriers between the rich's money and the poor's savings, filling everyone with whatever they needed. the busy chatting muffled their hearing, the warm sun's light was shining on the road ahead of them, the smell of fresh fish and new fruits, this was it. the feeling of being outside a few hours after sunrise, the feeling of being on a full stomach as you strolled through the bustling city.

there they were, in the middle of all of it, taking in the sight of the city's full market. rows upon rows of just booths calling for people to buy from them. some had toys while others sold food and trinkets.

"mingyu-hyung, you're slouching again," seungkwan said as he pushed mingyu's shoulders higher. mingyu was looking through fruits, his one hand checking through them while his other hand held a basket full of food.

"does he always look so focused?" jihoon said as he took an apple and left money for the seller to take. he bit a big bite out of it and his cheeks puffed to fit the bite. seungkwan could feel his brows furrow and his lips frown at the sight.

"you're disgusting, don't you wash your apples before eating them?" seungkwan asked, his face scowling. jihoon shrugged before finishing the fruit then throwing the core into a nearby bin.

mingyu finished circling his fingers in the air then took enough fruit that it fit his budget. jihoon's brows furrowed, not understanding what he just did. mingyu's eyes were crescents and his canines were showing through his smile, he looked so happy.

"hyung! look what we bought!" seokmin excitedly said as he ran towards jihoon while holding chan's hand and holding something up. jihoon laughed a bit, seeing how joyful the two were.

they stopped right in front of them, holding their newly bought thing in front of their faces. seungkwan laughed while jihoon and mingyu stood there, scared shitless. what was in front of them was a stick that has been pierced through what seemed to be transparent butterflies.

"seokmin, what the hell is that–" "hyung, you should try it, it's tasty." seokmin held it up to jihoon's mouth, waving it in front of him.

"those are sugarflies, they're popular these days since spring started," seungkwan said as he looked at jihoon's sweating face.

"is t-this like their body or something?" jihoon asked, not wanting to offend the kingdom's choice of food.

"the guy at the booth said that this is their shedded skin. he tried the actual thing once and he said it put him into a coma for a week!" chan said as he grinned.

jihoon felt his soul leave his body.

"i can't believe you never told me about these, kwannie!" mingyu pouted, then he asked if he could take a bit out of the stick that seokmin bought. the boy gladly put it next to his mouth and the taller one took a bite. mingyu felt the wings melt right against the surface of his tongue, his taste buds feeling the incredible sweetness it had.

"well, you're never here for spring. you always jump back into the ocean after winter," seungkwan said, flicking the taller's forehead.

after a while, wonwoo joined them, both of his hands full as he was carrying bags from bookstores and electronics–that was for some reason called power-infused gizmos. the five of them stared at wonwoo as he was now wearing glasses and his scrawny arms somehow managed to carry such a load.

mingyu looked at wonwoo's arms, noticing how not a single vein showed at such a weight. his mind went back to a few moments ago when he was saved from falling by those same thin arms. he wondered how such pale, childlike hands could hold someone so big and twice their own strength.

maybe mingyu was too rude the first time they met and yet, wonwoo still had the guts to help him.

"hyung, you're staring," seungkwan whispered to him. mingyu's cheeks burst with crimson hues as he looked away. jihoon noticed this and punched mingyu's shoulder as he grinned while waving his brows up and down. seokmin and chan were just eating their sugarflies while mingyu was being teased by two of his now proclaimed friends.

mingyu got even more embarrassed.

"ah, seungkwan, do you know where the others went?" wonwoo asked, adjusting his glasses. seungkwan nodded and started walking.

"vernonie mentioned visiting the shrine where you guys came from. the knight you met last night is stationed there today so you can thank him for saving your butts when we get there," seungkwan said, now holding seokmin and chan's hands in his. chan scowled while his brother had a huge grin on his face.

"why are you holding my hand–" "also if mingyu-hyung starts slouching, straighten his back," seungkwan said, cutting off chan's question. seokmin was just happy to have a new friend.

**_**

the air was cool, carrying remnants of a once freezing winter. a single breeze was enough to send a tingle down a person's spine and yet, the meadows were blooming with flowers. the path leading away from the city was filled with overgrown leaves and crawling roots. one wrong step and someone could fall into the field.

however, their feet were careful not to step into tall grass for the warnings they were given were too grave. mentions of fairies luring you into rings of mushrooms to dance until your death, tales of creatures learning your names and controlling you with the knowledge, and even ghostly children taking you on a wild goose chase.

the boys were quiet, looking at where the path splits at times and following where the younger prince took them. seungcheol was tapping his finger against the fabric of his newly borrowed pants, surely there was something better than just silence. yet, here he was, without a single topic in mind.

seungcheol slowed down a bit in his footsteps, meeting jeonghan who had been walking behind them. his finger tapped the younger's shoulder and caught his attention.

"is it just me or is this awkward?" seungcheol whispered to jeonghan.

"of course it's awkward, we're not friends with these people," jeonghan answered, gesturing lazily to the people in front. he sighed, straightening his posture and looking around for anything interesting.

after seconds of thinking, an idea came like a light over his head.

"hey, princey, i was wondering if i could ask how do our worlds even connect. our world can't even come close to having people with clocks in their eyes," jeonghan said. junhui chuckled, looking back at jeonghan with the exact clock in his one eye. the older smiled at this, putting up his hand and tracing his knuckles. junhui was sure he was about to get punched.

hansol smiled, looking back to the four boys with an awkward grin. junhui let out a tired sigh while the other three were wondering what was going on in their heads.

"well, you see, i don't really pay attention when it comes to history," hansol said, scratching the back of his nape with an awkward motion.

"you pay more attention to soonyoung instead of me," junhui said, puffing his cheeks and crossing his arms. jeonghan wanted to join in on making hansol feel guilty and crossed his arms while shaking his head. this caused jisoo to shake his head, covering his face in embarrassment.

"who's soonyoung?" seungcheol asked.

"huh? i thought he introduced himself already. he better learn some manners," junhui began stomping as he finished his sentence. jisoo had to hold him by his collar, lifting him up a bit as to not drag him along.

"soonyoung's the boy who brought us to the castle. i talked to him last night, he's an okay kid," jeonghan said as he slapped jisoo's hand so he could put junhui down and fix his collar.

"we're going to see him right now!" junhui said, beginning to stomp once again. jisoo and hansol had to catch up with him while jeonghan and seungcheol were left behind.

the wind blew once again, running its untouchable presence through the meadows. seungcheol's hair danced with the breeze as his eyes looked towards the blooming flowers. the petals flew across the meadows, taking the seeds as they traveled the distance.

seungcheol was in awe, he was reminded of the flowers back at home. how they swayed, how they flew, how they grew again and again without fail. the only difference was that he was free to stay and watch for as long as he'd like, unlike at home where he had duties. whispers called for his name, a voice telling him that this was where he belonged.

"seungcheol," jeonghan said softly as he held seungcheol's wrist. the prince stumbled a bit out of surprise. seungcheol looked back at him, his eyes almost wet with tears and nose a little red. something stuck seungcheol's chest, he wasn't sure what it was or how it happened but something hit him.

jeonghan looked different against the morning sun and in front of the flowery meadow.

"you–" seungcheol's eyes softened as he looked at jeonghan more closely. "you look beautiful."

jeonghan was cut off guard, his lips pursing and his heart racing. it was so out of the blue and in such a beautiful place as well. the younger was starting to wonder if he was just the love interest of some main character because of how abruptly seungcheol told him that.

"yeah, it's called having a skincare routine," jeonghan deadpanned.

seungcheol's lips went into a straight line and he blinked a few times, dumbfounded by jeonghan's response. he looked like a lost puppy and jeonghan laughed at him. he held seungcheol's wrist tighter then began running with seungcheol following closely behind him.

"come on, they're already ahead of us."

_

"finally! we're here!" seungkwan shouted as he fell onto the side of the shrine's pool. he slid against the cold golden ropes, his cheek squishing against the cool surface with a smile.

everyone had arrived safely to the shrine with the large pool and falling flowers. jisoo, junhui, and hansol arrived first, junhui almost falling into the water when he was looking for that soonyoung boy. jeonghan and seungcheol arrived shortly after–jisoo teased them since they were holding hands.

wonwoo, jihoon and mingyu found the place relatively easy with jihoon convincing mingyu to use his water thing so they can just slide their way there. seungkwan had to suffer from seokmin and chan dragging him through other paths. at this point they arrived right before brunch could happen back at the castle.

"where's thoonyoung-hyung?" mingyu asked, a sugarfly still in his mouth.

"close your mouth when you eat!" seungkwan shouted, still with his face against the surface of the gold.

"we didn't get to see him when we got here, he probably got repositioned or something," hansol said as he helped seungkwan up. seungkwan stood up, looking at hansol with an annoyed look on his face.

"well, he should at least be here to greet the prince," mingyu stated as he swallowed the last of the sugarfly in his mouth. seungkwan hit the back of his head, nagging him to not eat with his mouth full anymore.

seungcheol looked around, seeing the scenery he saw last night in a clearer light. the gold was shining against the sunlight, the petals fell gracefully and the statue was as tall as he remembered it to be. there was something calming about it, more than what it was at night.

he looked at the trees growing beside the statue of the lady, noticing a figure that he had not seen the night before. however, before he could tell jeonghan, junhui shouted a name on the top of his lungs.

"kwon soonyoung!"

in a blink of an eye, the figure atop the towering trees disappeared. a wind fast as a gunshot went by them and in a second, in front of seungcheol was the boy with a tiger mask.

the boy was standing on top of the edge of the pool, one wrong move and he would fall. behind the mask were a pair of eyes that stared him down, glowing with a hunger for blood. his posture was similar to minghao's, just a bit more–in seungcheol's mind–reckless. the boy inched closer, his back bending a bit to get a closer look at whatever seungcheol was. his eyes analyzed then a grin appeared on him.

"you're like a bunny! i'm sure my sister would love you!" soonyoung said as he held his hands to his cheeks.

"you idiot, get down from there," seungkwan said, crossing his arms. he yanked soonyoung off of the ledge and made him stand in front of the boys he had saved the night before.

"alright! since we're all here, let's introduce ourselves and become proper friends!" mingyu said. he pointed towards seungkwan first with a smile.

seungkwan sighed then he introduced himself, "i'm boo seungkwan, my aunt takes care of the castle's gardens and i help out sometimes."

chan scoffed, pointing to the meadows then asking him if he could take care of everything. this resulted in a slap on the back of his head from seungkwan and some murmurs. chan laughed, telling seungkwan that he simply couldn't take a joke at all.

"i'm lee chan, i can kick ass," chan said jokingly with a smirk, jihoon smacked his back and muttered something about swearing.

"i'm lee seokmin!" seokmin said, a cheery tone dancing on his tongue. everyone immediately made a mental note to protect him at all costs, no matter the situation.

"well, my name's wen junhui but you can call me jun. i help mingyu around the castle but in reality, i have no business being there!" junhui said, as if it was the greatest thing he had said in his life.

"he helps me with history," hansol added with a smile.

then a silence hit them, only the wind blowing along with them. as if waiting for anyone to say something. the boys stood awkwardly, not knowing who would go next since they weren't formally friends yet.

"name's lee jihoon," jihoon said, arms crossed and face serious. he sighed tiredly when he saw all of them release the tension in them.

"i'm kwon soonyoung! i hope we can be best friends, jihoon!" soonyoung said as he shook jihoon's hand. "you can call me soon!"

"hyung, that's rude, you can't only hope to be friends with him." seungkwan hit his head while soonyoung still smiled. jihoon's face turned red at this and chan quickly noticed. he started making kissy noises and jihoon in turn chased him around, cursing at the youngest.

"i'm kim mingyu! sorry for my rudeness last night, i was in a bad mood since soonyoung-hyung called for me when i was about to go to sleep," mingyu said, his canines showing behind his lips. wonwoo adjusted his glasses to see him better. "i'm the student and assistant of the king's doctor."

"jeon wonwoo. a pleasure to meet you all," wonwoo said as he tried to bow. the baggage he carried was enough to keep him from bending so he had to put one of them down.

mingyu offered to keep a hold of one of the bags and wonwoo hesitantly gave it to him. he was able to bow properly and everyone gave him either applause or a thumbs up for being so proper. the stoic bookworm just adjusted his glasses again and had a small smile on his face.

"i'm hong jisoo. i have another name, joshua, but they usually call me shua or josh," jisoo said.

"that's too many names to remember," seungkwan said as he put a hand to his head. jisoo chuckled at this and just told him to call him shua or shua-hyung if it was to his taste.

"the name's yoon jeonghan, the angel of your dreams. your 1004 cheonsa, never forget this face because it'll be what you'll see when you get to heaven–" "han, please shut up," jisoo said as he hit jeonghan's head. jeonghan stuck out his tongue in annoyance.

last up were their two princes. they had saved the best for last, the cherry atop their sundae of friendship. their introductions would seal everything and let them become somewhat acquaintances with each other the longer they stay in this other world.

"i am chwe hansol, prince of the caraet kingdom," hansol held out his hand for seungcheol.

"i am choi seungcheol, an otherworldly prince," he said as he reached out to shake hands with him.

then, like lightning in a storm, a flash went through the spaces of their hands, and in a second, seungcheol was on the verge of falling into the pool. everyone was in shock at the sight in front of them. jeonghan was about to knock out the person holding his prince but jisoo had to hold him back, tracing the older's knuckles with his fingers to remind him.

there minghao stood, on the edge of the pool, holding seungcheol by his collar over the pool. seungcheol was gripping onto his dear life as he kept trying to grab onto minghao's arm. every time he tried to, all he could feel was a shock burn his fingers.

minghao's aura was different, very different from a while ago in the garden. in the garden, he stood with grace, his every move seemed calculated. however, as he stood there with seungcheol swaying at the ends of his fingertips, he was unhinged and reckless with little grace.

"minghao, put him down!" soonyoung shouted as he grabbed minghao's other arm.

 _"i wonder why i'm always the target for violence, wonwoo's boring lectures are way better than this,"_ seungcheol thought to himself as he just went into a blank stare at what was happening in front of him. he yawned as the masked boy tried his hardest to get minghao off the ledge. he was convinced he was probably immortal since he hadn't died in such a violent place.

_"yeah, i wanna go to sleep."_

"we were trying to introduce ourselves and become friends! hyung, just let me have this!" seungcheol could hear hansol shout out as if he was begging. he had no idea why someone his age would beg to become friends with someone but who was he to judge? he was practically a loner until recently.

"introductions, huh?" minghao looked at seungcheol, bringing him a bit closer and making him face his eyes. the boy's eyes were mesmerizing, and somehow seungcheol could feel that he didn't want to do it.

somehow, seungcheol knew. somewhere deep within the boy holding him over a deadly pool, there was a command embedded into him to do this. he reached to touch minghao's cheek, seeing a tear slowly form on his eye out of frustration. seungcheol's thumb slowly wiped it away and in surprise, the boy let him go and into the pool.

seungcheol's body felt at peace as it began to sink. he could hear the splashes of more bodies coming in to save him but he knew he was probably the main character, dying wouldn't be in his vocabulary anymore.

so seungcheol smiled as his body began to dry and pass through the pool's own portal.


	11. return

**°* ❀**

**_return_ **

seungcheol could feel water passing through the spaces of his hands, the tips of his fingers running against the flow of time. the prince was at peace, his whole body unmoving as the wind passed by. he could feel his hair swaying with the water and his feet floating above. if seungcheol could compare this to anything, he could compare it to nothing. this was the first time he had ever felt that way.

then he felt someone tap his cheeks.

what followed was the roaring of rain against the water he was floating in then the sounds of lightning in the distance. seungcheol's eyes were forced open by his fear and suddenly, his body felt like it fell from grace. when he took in his surroundings, he was sitting on the inside of the fountain from last night. his clothes and hair were soaking wet.

the prince looked around, seeing the other boys laying on the overgrowing grass. jeonghan and jisoo were against the wall, leaning on each other in their quiet slumber. wonwoo was right beside seungcheol, but he was outside of the fountain as his sleeping figure held tightly onto the waterproof bag he had. seokmin and chan were asleep on the grass, their cheeks touching the dirt. jihoon's body was limp next to his brothers, he was sitting as his hand was holding onto a familiar mask.

seungcheol was dazed but when he looked up to the sky, it was going gray. he quickly got out of the fountain and swung his body a few times to get rid of the water as much as he could. his wobbling legs walked over to his so-called devil twins then he tugged jeonghan and jisoo awake in no time.

"han, shua, it's about to rain, we need to get these boys inside the castle," seungcheol said, yawning. he still had a bit of a fighting spirit in him, trying to get wonwoo and jihoon off the ground.

jeonghan blinked tiredly as he went over to chan. he removed the sweater that hansol had given him and put chan on his back as if he were carrying a normal kid. he put the sweater on chan, covering his head and back.

jisoo lifted seokmin off the ground, cleaning off the dirt stuck on his face. he sighed as he looked at the boy's quiet smile. he didn't know how to react as seokmin leaned in closer to rest his head on jisoo's chest. jisoo's once calm composure went away for a second before he remembered his duty. he supported seokmin's legs with his right arm, his left arm under the sleeping boy's back.

seungcheol bent down as he started poking wonwoo's sides. "wonu, do you still have the key to the library?"

wonwoo surprisingly began talking in his sleep, his brows furrowing as he mumbled a few answers here and there.

"can you wake up? we need you to unlock the library so we can hide for a bit," seungcheol said as he ran his hands through wonwoo's hair.

wonwoo mumbled then his eyes opened a bit, his head almost falling back to hit the edge of the fountain. he grumbled and began to understand what was happening. he yawned as he slowly removed seungcheol's hand from his head.

"hyung, you're drenched," wonwoo quietly said as he squinted to see the prince. when he adjusted his glasses, he could see seungcheol's face light up.

"yah, han might get jealous if you two act lovey-dovey to each other. we gotta go before anyone sees us," jisoo said. if jeonghan didn't have chan on his back, they would be having a fistfight right about now.

"shut up, i'm pretty sure you're feeling all lovey-dovey with minnie in your arms," jeonghan jokingly said with a smirk. if jisoo didn't have seokmin in his arms, they would definitely be having a fistfight right about now.

seungcheol laughed as he stood up, holding out his hand for wonwoo. wonwoo got up with the prince's help and he quickly took the bag in his hands and searched for the keys in there. his eyes widened when he reached in, not feeling anything but the texture of pages from books.

"wonu? what's wrong?" seungcheol asked as he placed jihoon on his back.

"your highness, the spare keys to the library were in the other bag. i left that bag with mingyu while we were still there," wonwoo said.

jeonghan sighed, knowing he had to step in.

"listen, if we ever run into the queen, i'll be the one to explain. wonwoo will go through the window in the garden to get inside the library while we wait in front."

seungcheol and jisoo nodded, preparing themselves to follow with their plan. jeonghan looked at wonwoo, gesturing for him to leave the bag of his with him. the younger hesitated but he knew that it would be troublesome to get through the window with baggage. he handed it over and jeonghan let him go. wonwoo ran out of the weird place, his direction towards the garden of the castle.

they made their way out of the fountain area and the gates to it immediately closed, the thorny vines curling against the rusting metal once again.

the three started walking towards the castle, making sure they were hidden by the trees. soon enough, they were already in the garden, the rain following them from behind. they quickly made it into the castle, panting as they waited in front of the library.

chan and seokmin began to wake up as jeonghan and jisoo were putting them down. chan scowled as he saw jeonghan's face and the older was very much offended by this as he ruffled the younger's hair.

seokmin's eyes were opening as jisoo was putting him down on the floor. the two made eye contact and seokmin's sleepy smile was enough to make jisoo weak. the older had red hues painting his cheeks as seokmin got down and thanked him. he was sure it was just the cold weather, he was so sure.

"shua, get some clothes for che–" "seungcheol? is that you?" jeonghan flinched at the voice he heard. he slowly turned around and was greeted by the sight of her majesty, concern obvious on her face.

"seungcheol, why weren't you at breakfast? why are you– why are you wet and wearing new clothes?" his mother kept asking as she pinched his cheeks and moving his head.

"mom, i'm fine–" "why do you have lee jihoon on your back? is he injured? don't tell me he found his way into the training grounds, his management will definitely ask for compensation."

before seungcheol could say anything, jisoo flicked his back with a swift movement.

"your majesty, lee jihoon had slipped in a puddle while we were coming back from the garden and his highness went to get him as it began to pour," jeonghan explained.

the queen looked at him, skeptical by his statement. "well, can you explain his clothes and why he was missing from the party and today's breakfast?"

still, jeonghan was unphased, as if he was doing this for his whole life. he looked the queen directly in the eye without a single nervous bone and opened his mouth.

"he told me that a guest accidentally tore his pants and he came to me for new clothes last night," jeonghan continued.

"that doesn't explain missing breakfast," the queen countered.

jeonghan looked back to seungcheol and jisoo. the prince seemed to be enchanted by jeonghan's simple lies while jisoo still looked tired. next to them were seokmin and chan, the two brothers just as fascinated as seungcheol hearing jeonghan speak.

"my apologies, my queen. i had to leave early to pick up some of wonwoo's new books so i haven't any clue as to why," jeonghan answered, lifting up wonwoo's bag from a while ago. the queen sighed then looked at seungcheol, who was surprised at the sudden exchange in responsibility.

"cheollie, darling, did you oversleep again?" her majesty asked.

jeonghan, from behind her, started angrily nodding at seungcheol. he made extreme gestures while mouthing yes over and over again. seungcheol had to somehow carry and finish the lie so he pouted his lips a bit and slouched as his mother pinched his cheeks once again.

"couldn't sleep," seungcheol said, letting out a fake yawn. this sold the lie fully, his mother now convinced with them.

"alright, just don't make it a habit," the queen said as she ruffled her son's hair.

soon enough, the doors to the library opened with a tired wonwoo looking at the scene. he bowed to the queen then gestured for them to come inside, apologizing for keeping them waiting. the queen soon left, telling jeonghan to keep a closer eye on her son while she goes on with her work.

they all made their way inside of the library, all still a bit shaken that they had to face the queen that way.

"yah," jeonghan's voice was loud and clear, and it drilled a fearful look on all of them. as seungcheol put down jihoon's body on a chair, everyone else turned around to see jeonghan. his arms were crossed and his body leaned on the doors of the library.

"shua, get clothes for his cheol. wonu, get a blanket for jihoon," jeonghan said as he pushed himself off the hardwood.

jisoo and wonwoo made their way to where they were ordered to go, not wanting to see an angry side of what considered himself an angel

jeonghan walked over to jihoon and bent down to see his face a bit better. he moved away the hair covering his eyes, then put his palm over the singer's forehead.

jeonghan's eyes watched carefully as jihoon's breathing became uneven and his cheeks became red from the cold. then, the older boy's gaze slowly drifted away to the mask in jihoon's hand. it was still intact, with no damage whatsoever. jeonghan sighed, taking the mask and putting it in front of seungcheol.

"this doesn't exist, understood?" jeonghan said, his voice firm.

seungcheol nodded then took the mask from his friend's hand. jeonghan then faced the two boys with them.

"i don't know how to keep your mouths shut but none of what just happened last night exists outside of our circle," jeonghan said.

"a whole world exists out there and you just want us to shut up about it? we didn't even explore it properly," chan said, not knowing what was going on in the older's brain.

"chan is right, we need to see more of it before saying it's bad for it to exist," seokmin added, his innocent sparkle almost throwing jeonghan off balance.

but, jeonghan's stand was firm and still. he had made up his mind since last night before he fell asleep. he looked over to seungcheol and his eyes softened, his hand reached up to the prince's neck. his fingers held his collar a bit before raising them to hide the mark that had been showing for a while now.

"we're not returning," jeonghan said.

**°* ❀**


	12. Chapter 12

**°* ❀**

**_a connection_ **

jeonghan's hand dropped as he saw the look in seungcheol's eyes. he should've given them a reason to not consider returning but it was for their own safety. he couldn't bear to see another wound on the prince and the queen finding out about it.

"hyung, what do you mean we aren't returning?" seokmin's voice was small, his smile falling into a frown.

chan could see his brother's hopes be crushed under such simple words. he was sure jeonghan was lying, he's always lied and joked around while he runs errands. what would be so different from how he was acting at that moment?

"the portal is still there! we can go back whenever we want!" chan shouted, his voice echoing through the walls of the library. the pages of the books swayed a bit with the waves of sound. the sky outside was dark and the pattering of the rain almost drowned their senses.

jeonghan was no different.

he was surprised to say the least, it's not every day that he hears the younger shout at him. his eyes looked down on chan and his voice was held tight by a thread across his lips. even without a single sound, jeonghan was drowning them in his presence.

seungcheol could feel the tension in the air. unlike his usual self, he couldn't say a word to their guests. he looked to jeonghan with pleading eyes, asking him to try his best not to get mad. the younger caught the look from his prince and felt his stomach twist in a pang of small guilt.

he sighed then rested his hand on chan's shoulder as he released the invisible thread he kept on his lips, he said, "let's talk about this later. jihoon's already running a fever and i still have errands to run."

chan's eyes widened then looked to jihoon, whose eyes were closed and breathing was uneven. he groaned, forgetting what had just happened as he put a hand to his brother's forehead.

"we should get him to his room, while you two can join me for lunch," seungcheol said. he went to jihoon and put him on his back, supporting his legs. he could feel the heat radiate from the singer, his cheeks and forehead already sweating against the prince's clothes.

just in time, wonwoo came back with a blanket, and his eyes suited with his new eyeglasses. he draped the fabric over jihoon's slightly shivering body and adjusted the tip of his glasses. without another word, he bowed and returned to the books he left yesterday. seungcheol's eyes drooped as if he was a puppy who saw his owner leave. he was disappointed that wonwoo was refusing to speak to him like a friend all over again.

"i'll tell shua you'll be in jihoon's room, i'll get going," jeonghan said, patting seungcheol's back. then, jeonghan felt a tug on the sleeve of his shirt. he turned around to see seungcheol, his eyes sparkling even as the weight of an ill person slowed him.

"hey, let's talk when you get back," seungcheol whispered. jeonghan's lips thinned into a line as he nodded as a response.

seungcheol watched as jeonghan made his way out of the library, his shoes clicking against the hard floor. in the deepest part of his mind, he felt that something was definitely wrong but he had to stand steady. he knew no prince shows weakness in front of his subjects.

he smiled at seokmin and chan, ruffling the youngest's hair as seokmin giggled. while seungcheol laughed, as he supported jihoon's legs with his hands, he said, "come on, let's put your brother to bed."

_

the heels of jeonghan's shoes clicked against the white tiles of the hallway. the echoes bounced off the walls and alerted anyone near him. as the assistant of the prince, he had to be near him at all times so when you hear only his footsteps, it's a sign to move away as fast as possible.

jeonghan sighed as he held up his hand and examined the knuckles on the back of his hand. they were colored like blueberries, bruised and ruined after taking them from nature. the thorns must've caused it, that was jeonghan's only thought about it.

as he grew closer to his destination, his hands traced the golden details of the castle walls. the intricacy of the pillars, the silver accents hanging just above his head, even the simplest paintings that hang from a single nail, it all made him worry. a life so extravagant wouldn't stay in his grasp forever.

then, jeonghan stopped in his tracks. in front of him was seungcheol's grandfather. he was wearing his glasses, book in hand as he walked closer and closer to jeonghan. he noticed the young boy and waved, going closer to talk to him.

"ah, jeonghan! my goodness, you look rather tired. you should leave my grandson to his plans and go on a vacation," he said, chuckling through his words.

"i'm sorry, your majesty but i have no time for things like that," jeonghan said, smiling.

"haha, well, i guess my grandson gives you lots of entertainment. i'm sure every second with him feels like a vacation."

jeonghan laughed, keeping the old king happy with his communication. he didn't know how the old king knew his name and suddenly started acting like they knew each other but he had too much respect for him to leave him with no reply.

"you two are a connection i had never expected," the old king laughed, closing his book and removing his glasses.

"ah, what connection do we make in your eyes, your majesty? i feel like we're pretty close, definitely not like brothers but i see him as one of my best friends," jeonghan stated, his eyes already disappearing and his lips curved.

seungcheol's grandfather looked at him, eyeing the smile that hid a mountain of emotions. he chuckled, cleaning his glasses with a cloth he carried around. he put it back on his face and adjusted it to see jeonghan. the younger looked at the old king, still smiling but worried about the sudden silence.

the old king smiled then told him exactly what he felt.

"well, your connections aren't up to me to make so i'll let you decide on what it becomes," he said, opening his book once again.

"of course, i'll keep that in mind." jeonghan smiled and bowed, resulting in a chuckle from the old king.

he flipped the pages of his heavy book, his fingers stopping at a particular one. his eyes moved to jeonghan who was fixing his posture from the bow. the aura of the young boy was strong but somewhere in between, the old king felt suffocation like no other.

"i should get going, this old book isn't going to read itself. it was nice to talk with you."

"same with you, your majesty."

the old king walked away after waving goodbye. jeonghan watched as he stepped away from him, the man's posture adjusting to his reading. jeonghan sighed, taking out a handkerchief and wiping away his sweat. his vision blurred as he folded the cloth with his hands. he looked at his hands, noticing green thorns poking out of his rosy fingertips.

jeonghan's breath became uneven and his legs wobbled as if they were noodles. he tried to remove the green parasites, pricking his fingers more than he could count on them. even as his fingertips stretched with every tug, they wouldn't come out. he had to remove them before anyone else could see.

he saw a golden weapon held on the display. he just had to cut off the thorns to the point where they appeared flat. he held the handle of the sword, ready to take it out but just as he was about to, he heard a voice.

"jeonghan! hi!"

jeonghan turned around, his eyes widening at who he saw. in front of him was a boy who was soaking wet, his clothes making a wet trail behind him. his smile made his cheeks raise like a child. he was holding his shoes in one hand and his socks in the other. around his waist was the belt of a sword sheath and in that sheath was a sword hanging loosely.

what surprised jeonghan the most? this boy had slanted eyes and was missing his mask.

"soonyoung?!"

_

seungcheol yawned as he stared out the window. the rain poured down onto the plants outside, the ground softening as it met the sky's tears. beside him was jihoon, sleeping with a cold cloth over his forehead. seokmin was watching jihoon sleep while his twitter was open and chan was out with jisoo to get medicine.

seokmin scrolled through the tiny bird app, his eyes taking in whatever he could. his eyes saw his brother's name on the trending page again, videos upon videos of his performance from the other day. it spread like wildfire and he was viral all over again.

then again, he could see hate mixed within the posts that glorified him.

he sighed, remembering that jihoon's manager was probably sending a search team to get him already. the life of a star seemed hectic, always burning just for the people to see you. seokmin's brows furrowed and his lips frowned, he couldn't understand why jihoon took the job anyway.

"seokmin, you okay? do you have a fever too?" seungcheol asked, seeing seokmin lay his head next to his brother's hand on the bed. seokmin shook his head and seungcheol went closer to him.

"you sure? we can always call shua to get more medicine," seungcheol said as he pats the younger boy.

"your highness, i'm fine," seokmin said, squishing his cheek against the bed as he reached out to hold his brother's hand. seungcheol could see worry all over the boy's face along with what was on the phone he let him borrow. all of it, just jihoon and his amazing performance.

"well, if it's about your life then we can talk but being a famous idol's brother must be nothing to worry about it seems," seungcheol smiled. seokmin returned the same expression, feeling a bit better.

"it's hard being an idol's little brother," seokmin said. he buried his head into the covers, still holding tight onto his brother's hand.

seungcheol hummed as a response, listening to his words.

"on one hand, there's seeing him flourish and show the world what he's made of. then the other is just seeing him be pulled down by the number of hateful comments he gets," seokmin explained.

"there are still people who love him though," seungcheol said. he sat next to seokmin, ready to hear what he had in mind.

"of course, but then they go and make him a god in their eyes. it's tiring to see him feel uncomfortable with what his fans put on," seokmin scowled as he spoke. he remembered that time where one of his fans sent him letters describing what she'd do if he didn't meet up with her. it scared even chan, who wasn't afraid of anything at the time.

"i guess it comes with the fame. if there's anything i can help with then just give me a call, it'll be helpful to have connections to keep jihoon safe." seungcheol gave seokmin a grin, to which seokmin returned with a calm smile.

"you're nicer than you look, your highness," seokmin said.

"i'll take that as a compliment," seungcheol replied.

the two of them just sat there, in the silence of a bond created in under a few words. seungcheol leaned back on his chair while seokmin left the trending page. there was a newfound serenity that filled the air as the two carried on with what they did.

well, it _was_ peaceful until jeonghan busted open the door with soonyoung in his arms.

the sound of the door being kicked open was enough to make seokmin almost drop the phone, knock seungcheol off his chair, and jihoon to wake up. the cloth on jihoon's head fell on the blanket and his vision was blurry as he tried to take in what was happening. he looked towards the door, to see jeonghan panting and soonyoung holding up a peace sign as he grinned.

"this fucker somehow got here!"

**°* ❀**


End file.
